A month ago a natural resource assistant position was proposed to be shared between the Tisbury harbourmaster and the shellfish policeman appeared dead in the water.

But on Tuesday, during their final 3 hour and 15 minute marathon session, the Tisbury Select Board had a change of heart and will now recommend the new position to town hall voters. Her decision follows the support of the city’s finance committee for the new position.

A part-time summer assistant to harbourmaster John Crocker is eliminated and a seasonal employee who helps clam policeman Danielle Ewart in the off-season is cut.

Although selected board chairman Jim Rogers said he still had questions about the delineation of roles, selected board member Jeff Kristal said Crocker had put together an “action folder” and city administrator Jay Grande could work on an organizational flowchart.

“Who will this person report to in winter, John or Danielle?” Said Rogers. “When something goes wrong and we always know something can go wrong, accountability comes up … I think that needs to be ironed out before we can move on to this or any other position in the city.”

Despite this statement, Rogers agreed to take the new employee on a moment later.

Kristal said the port and shellfish departments still have a lot of work to do and will need help with new aquaculture farms, port works and enforcement. He pointed out that the city’s buildings are falling apart from neglect of maintenance.
“I don’t want to neglect departments because we’re too frugal when we use money or resources to support them,” he said.

Slow down on Franklin Street

Drivers are required to slow down on a section of Franklin Street, but the Tisbury Select Board stopped to lower the speed limit to 25 mph on the entire street.

Police chief Mark Saloio said there had been 80 accidents on the road, 18 of which were in parked cars. He suggested lowering the speed limit from 30 mph to 25 mph from Leland Avenue to Spring Street.
“I think changing the speed limit from 30 to 25 won’t completely solve the problem, but it will help slow people down a bit,” he said.

Board member selected Larry Gomez, who lives on Greenwood Avenue, said speed is definitely an issue on the road. “We talked about it in my other term and it has never changed,” he said, adding that he wholeheartedly supported the speed limit reduction.

Pamela Brock, who lives on Franklin towards West Chop, seemed to have convinced the board to slow down the entire route. “The speeders are sure to get revved up near this Mink Meadows Road,” she said.

Siobhan Mullin of Betty’s Lane said it was dangerous for pedestrians and children riding bikes on Franklin Street. “You take control of your life on this road for a few days at the speed people drive from Bernard Circle to West Chop Woods, actually all the way to West Chop itself,” she said. A reduced speed limit would make her feel safer, she said.

However, Nelson Sigelman, who lives on Bernard Circle, questioned reducing the speed limit in areas where there is no on-street parking and said it would feel like walking toward West Chop at 25 mph “to crawl”. “I don’t believe in worst-case anecdotal management here,” he said.

Kristal recommended accepting the boss’s recommendation and waiting the other way.

The board unanimously approved the reduced speed limit.

At the beginning of the meeting, Saloio was pushed for his budget proposal for the 2022 financial year. The budget includes funds for 14 civil servants, but 14th place remains vacant. Saloio hinted that there is a legal battle preventing him from filling the position. He said the position is needed but Gomez in particular was not convinced and said the size of the department continues to grow.

“If we don’t need the officer now, take the money out,” said Gomez.

In a separate vote, Andrew St. Pierre was hired as a full-time transport officer. He will replace Eloise Boales, who will retire later this week.

Beach Road, gas tanks and permits

Building a shared path in general, and laying sewer pipes in particular, continue to be a source of frustration for the chosen board.

During Tuesday’s meeting, the board unanimously voted to send a letter to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and copy it to the island’s legislative delegation to find a solution to the infrastructure work before work continues. Once construction begins, “we have little control over the management,” said Grande.

“The repair of this sewer is part of their Beach Road project and should be held accountable for them,” said Rogers.

Debby Packer, whose family owns commercial properties on the Beach Road waterfront, pleaded with the board to do more to stop the project, saying it was unsafe, especially for large trucks going to and from the ferries and barge business Her family drive because it doesn’t follow the guidelines of the National Highway Traffic Safety. “I think this is an emergency,” she said. “You have the power to save Tisbury’s functioning waterfront, which everyone in Martha’s Vineyard benefits from… I beg you. I ask you to take action. It’s in your hands. “

She said MassDOT received an exemption to reduce the lane size for the SUP from 12 feet to 10.5 feet. “That puts a lot of pressure on the truck drivers,” she said. “It’s hard to understand if you’re not a CDL driver.”

She said the idea that the Beach Road SUP is the “missing link” for bike travel is incorrect.

Kristal reiterated that the current board does not support the SUP and is working as part of the process to advocate for the town and property owners. “This board didn’t sit back and keep quiet about it, we were working on the channels,” said Kristal.

In a separate affair on Beach Road, the city will allow Citgo gas station owners to run a hose down Beach Road, down Beach Street Extension and into the harbor to dispose of the groundwater.

Adam Guaraldi, speaking on Citgo’s behalf, said that it is normally allowed to pump the groundwater into the storm sewers, but the ones on Beach Road do not work properly. Both the Environmental Protection Agency and the Conservation Commission have approved the complex plan for the surface drainage of the water with the hose from the station to the port.

It’s all part of a project to remove aging fuel tanks and replace them with new ones, Guaraldi told the board.

The selection committee unanimously approved the project, but subject to conditions. Citgo must compensate the city, provide evidence of liability insurance and complete the project (at least the use of the city streets) by May 26th.

In other businesses, the board unanimously approved the purchase of a command vehicle valued at $ 65,000 for the fire department after briefly considering a lease option. The city council voters have the final say.

The board also enthusiastically endorsed a liquor license for Stephen Bowen’s newest restaurant company. Bowen opens Fish Tales at 80 Main St. It is adjacent to its existing La Soffitta and Waterside Market restaurants.

The board also approved an additional 330 gallons of flow for a development proposed by Sam Dunn in the former Santander Bank on Main Street. The board took no action on Dunn’s request for access to the property via city streets as the developer was unavailable on the Zoom call to explain what he was requesting.

A public hearing on the canal regulations and a proposed new fee structure was scheduled for April 27th at 6pm.