The last dry town on the Vineyard could be turning wet. The Chilmark selectmen have set a public hearing for August 27 to explore the idea of allowing alcohol sales at restaurants in the up-Island town.
A Chilmark zoning bylaw regulating house size is now official after the town received approval from the state attorney general’s office this week.
Kelli Gunagan, assistant attorney general and bylaw coordinator, informed the town in a July 9 letter that the state approved the zoning amendments passed at the annual town meeting in April.
“Based upon our review of the text of [the bylaw], the relevant case law, and all the materials submitted to our office, we conclude that Section 6.11 is not clearly inconsistent with [Massachusetts general law],” Ms.
Following nearly a year and a half of wide-ranging and sometimes emotional debate about the impact of large houses on the rural character of Chilmark, voters overwhelmingly approved a new bylaw to limit house size at their annual town meeting this week.
How to preserve the rural character of Chilmark while planning for the future: the question is expected to take center stage when voters consider a proposed bylaw to regulate house size at their annual town meeting Monday night.
After a few years of annual town meetings that were quiet and largely routine, the Chilmark warrant is packed with weighty issues this year, including an $8.1 million operating budget, up nearly five per cent over last year, largely due to increased education costs.
Chilmark selectmen sharply criticized the human resources board Tuesday night for using inappropriate language to discuss town employees and alleging improper conduct by town officials at public meetings last month.
The selectmen’s criticism stemmed from Feb. 7 and Feb.
Harbor repairs, health insurance for firefighters, extending the
town building cap and a plan to lease out town property for a community
swimming pool will all come before Chilmark voters at a special town
meeting Monday night.
Set to begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Chilmark Community Center, the
warrant includes 10 articles. Moderator Everett Poole will preside over
the special session.
A lean budget, a short spending list and a relatively
slim warrant await Chilmark voters at the annual meeting on Monday
night.
Moderator Everett H. Poole will once again take up the gavel
before voters take on a 27-article warrant. The meeting begins at
7:30 p.m. at the Chilmark Community Center.
After a two-hour debate that weighed the future of Menemsha against the town's other priorities, Chilmark voters this week passed on an opportunity to buy the Home Port restaurant and adjoining pondfront properties for $3.9 million.
At a special town meeting on Monday Chilmark voters will face a slew of town spending requests ranging from money for repairs on the fire station, police station and Squibnocket beach parking lot to design work for a new building on Menemsha harbor.
The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Chilmark Community Center. Moderator Everett H. Poole will preside over the session.
Abel’s Hill cemetery is a place where people who like to keep tabs on their neighbors can do just that — for eternity, as they rest among them. From the gravestones off South Road in Chilmark you can hear the hum of cars speeding down-Island to the grocery store or up for a day at the beach. From the plot nearest the road, on tiptoe, you can just see who is in those cars. It’s a quiet cemetery, but graceful.
