Beach sticker prices in Chilmark are going up this summer, after selectmen voted Tuesday to raise walk-on and parking pass prices across the board.
Presented by the Chilmark beach committee Tuesday, the plan aims to raise pricing for walk-on and parking passes at all town-owned beaches by $15. Under the new pricing, parking passes at Lucy Vincent Beach would increase from $85 to $100, Squibnocket passes would rise from $50 to $65 and walk-on passes would go $10 to $25.
Clarissa Allen, chairman of the beach committee, said the measure would help fund infrastructural renovations needed at the beaches, including repairs to the Lucy Vincent shed and upgrades to the fence at Squibnocket.
“We’d like to not be asking for more revenue from the town, as it stands now, and there are certain infrastructure issues that need attention,” Ms. Allen said.
Beach superintendent Martina Mastromonaco added that if the upcoming summer proves as busy as last, the pricing would allow the beach department to run self sufficiently. The measure could also bring in an additional $60,000 in extra revenue that the committee would return to the town.
“No money would be asked from the taxpayers to run the department,” said Ms. Mastromonaco. “It would pay for itself.”
With no comments from the public, selectmen voted unanimously to approve the increase.
In other business Tuesday, selectmen heard from Richard Osnoss and Peter Cook of the planning board about a proposed zoning amendment that would allow the construction of homesite housing on properties under an acre in size.
According to the current bylaw, homesite housing lots may be less than three acres and but not less than one.
“[There’s] always a further need for more homesite housing lots, more youth lots. We just never seem to have enough of them,” Mr. Osnoss said. “We’ve had a few situations where opportunities arose for a lot size less than an acre . . . we don’t want to preclude those types of lots.”
Mr. Osnoss said the board hoped to change the wording of the homesite housing bylaw to allow the smaller lots, though all other pre-existing zoning laws would remain.
Mr. Cook said the committee planned to begin a series of hearings on the amendment this spring to gauge public opinion, with hopes to take more formal action in the fall. “Even though it’s a very simple adjustment to a zoning bylaw, it takes a little while to get used to the idea,” he said.
Mr. Rossi agreed, noting that, according to zoning bylaws, few lots would even qualify under the new guidelines. “I just think people need to know that it’s not going to completely change the character because there’s a fairly low number of eligible properties that it would affect,” he said.
Selectmen also discussed the possibility of lowering the 40 mile-per-hour speed limit on a stretch of South Road between West Tisbury and the intersection of Rich Hill Road in Chilmark. The town will investigate the lowering process with the state before proceeding, selectmen said.
Looking to the spring, selectmen agreed to move town meeting from its usual April date to a Saturday afternoon in May, but did not decide on a final date. Like last year, the meeting will be held outdoors in adherence with social distancing, selectmen said.
“We have some big items to vote on that’ll have to be voted on in the election, as well as annual town meeting. The biggest one being the biggest spending requests we’ve asked for as a town with a fire station and the ambulance building.” Mr. Rossi said.
The town election, which cannot be moved, will be held on April 28, with override votes and a town moderator race slated for a special town election after town meeting. The deadline to submit town election nomination papers is March 10, selectmen said.
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