On Feb. 4, 2020 — just two short years ago — there was a very well-attended meeting of the Edgartown select board. The Gazette headline read Chappy Residents Fume About Their Ferry. The room was packed with Chappy folks spilling out into the hallway. The Gazette article noted that approximately 50 Chappy folks were in attendance. That meeting resulted in the creation of the Chappy Ferry steering committee. Members were appointed shortly thereafter. Because of the pandemic, they have met monthly by Zoom. Anyone can gain access to the meeting by clicking on the link under agendas on the town’s website.

The committee is tasked with making sure that the Chappy Ferry serves the needs of Chappaquddickers now and into the future. The committee consists of three full-time, year-round residents, four part-timers, the town administrator and the two ferry co-owners. There are more than 170 persons living full-time, year-round on Chappy. Hundreds more live part-time and there are thousands of summer people.

The committee made an effort to have the meetings scheduled for a particular day each month at a particular time. This is how most other town boards do it, so that you don’t have to constantly check the town’s website. State law requires that meetings obey the open meeting law and that they are posted only 48 hours prior to convening. That’s pretty short notice for most people. The committee even attempted to meet twice each month to hustle things along.

I have attended all but one of the meetings. Most members have also attended nearly all of the meetings. However, of the dozens of year-rounders, hundreds of part-timers and thousands of summer people, only a handful have signed onto the Chappy Ferry steering committee meetings. I’m surprised that there is now so little interest in what were apparently such overwhelming concerns by the community at large.

A few months ago, I was on the select board agenda to suggest that porta-potties be installed seasonally at Memorial Wharf. Part of my presentation was to demonstrate that this was a temporary solution and to show preliminary plans for a new ferry house that included public rest rooms. That will be a joint venture between the town and the ferry. Lots of attendance at that meeting! Several folks took the opportunity to complain about the ferry, even after it was clear that wasn’t the issue at hand.

So now there is a committee dedicated to addressing all of the complaints and issues surrounding the operations of a ferry service, meeting on a regular basis, open to the public, eager to listen. Apparently, the Chappaquiddick community is willing to depend on a mere 10 people to determine the future of their lifeline.

The next Chappy Ferry steering committee meeting is on Wednesday, Feb. 23 at 5 p.m. Find the Zoom link on the town website.