<p>Chilmark selectmen submitted a bid to buy Beetlebung Farm on Friday following an executive session Thursday night.
Chilmark selectmen submitted a bid to buy Beetlebung Farm on Friday following an executive session Thursday night, selectman Jim Malkin confirmed. Mr. Malkin declined to specify the amount of the offer.
“This is a wonderful property in the center of town. There are multiple uses possible for the property should the town acquire it,” he said in a statement.
Another executive session has been scheduled for Tuesday at 5 p.m. to continue the discussion about the possible acquisition.
The late Ozzie Fischer farmed the land for decades.
The late Ozzie Fischer farmed the land for decades.
The small iconic farm in the heart of the Chilmark town center that has been held by the Fischer family for generations, went on the market this week with an asking price of $2.5 million.
The sellers are the four children of the late Albert O. (Ozzie) Fischer Jr.
Potential buyers had already emerged early this week. Chilmark selectmen went into executive session Tuesday night to discuss a possible town acquisition of the 5.7-acre farm that abuts the Keith Farm and hugs the corner of Middle and South Roads, then scheduled a second executive session for Thursday.
It is understood that the Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival, headed by Chilmark resident Thomas Bena, is also an interested buyer. Mr. Bena did not immediately return phone calls from the Gazette seeking comment on Thursday.
Julie Flanders, who owns Flanders Real Estate in Chilmark, has an exclusive listing for the property. Ms. Flanders confirmed that there are potential buyers but said she could not disclose the names.
Albert O. Fischer 3rd, a West Tisbury resident whose father Ozzie Fischer farmed the property for decades until his death in 2011, said the decision by the family to sell has been wrenching but was necessary following years of care for their mother Regina, who lived at home on the farm until her death last month at the age of 103.
“My mother has been under 24/7 care for five or more years . . . we have had expenses and we can’t afford to keep it. We need to put it on the market,” Mr. Fischer said. “My siblings and I try to always think about what our father would do, and for him family always came first.”
He continued: “The town has always been interested, and it’s possible that something will happen with that.”
The property, whose address is 521 South Road, is zoned agricultural-residential with no restrictions, Ms. Flanders said. It was assessed at $948,200 in 2018, according to town records. It includes a main house, an old pool, a barn that has been converted to residential living and a small cottage that formerly housed Regina Fischer’s hairdessing salon.
Granddaughter Lydia Fischer ran the farm this summer.
Granddaughter Lydia Fischer ran the farm this summer.
Old stone walls line the rolling fields and cut granite steps lead to the main house and cottage.
Over the years Ozzie Fischer built up the soil on the farm and grew prolific vegetable gardens and fruit trees, including espalier pear, peach and apricot trees. He inspired generations of young farmers, including his daughter Marie Scott, who farmed Beetlebung for many years, and his grandson Chris Fischer, a chef who took over the farm a few years ago and wrote the Beetlebung Farm Cookbook, which won a James Beard award. This summer granddaughter Lydia Fischer took over the farm, growing and selling vegetables to restaurants and running a booth at the West Tisbury Farmers’ Market.
“Ideally we would like to see the property remain as a farm . . . in our heart that’s what the family would like to see,” Albert Fischer said.
Ms. Flanders, a lifelong Islander whose mother used to babysit for the Fischer children, acknowledged the weight of the decision. “This is very difficult for the family,” she said, noting also that the sellers are considering placing limits on the use of the property.
News that the farm was about to go on the market first surfaced at the Chilmark selectmen’s meeting Tuesday night. The board announced it had received a letter from Jim Feiner, chairman of the town housing committee, requesting discussion about some kind of possible town purchase of the farm. “The housing committee requests that the board of selectmen consider at their next meeting discussing the purchase of Beetlebung Farm should it become available,” Mr. Feiner wrote.
Selectman Bill Rossi, who is also a member of the housing committee, said he had heard that there was a possibility the land would be sold. He said he then spoke with the principals involved and confirmed that the property would be put on the market this week.
Mr. Rossi and Mr. Feiner are both Island real estate brokers who are not involved with the sale.
Mr. Rossi said a purchase could include some affordable housing. “In general, there’s a desire from different people in town to pursue the property that’s in the center of town for whatever use, including housing,” he said. “If there is interest we need to act quickly.”
Selectman and board chairman Jim Malkin concurred. “I certainly support the acquisition of that land for use the town sees appropriate,” he said.
Selectmen went into executive session and scheduled a second closed-door session for Thursday night at 7 p.m. to continue talks. A third session will be held Tuesday.
Landry Harlan contributed reporting.
Comments
Opportunity knocks
Elizabeth C.Mayhew ChilmarkOpportunity knocksOpportunity knocks
Sounds a bit sketchy to me.
Mike VHSounds a bit sketchy to me. A bit more backroom politics going on around the island. Why be sneaky. What would the town do with it that I couldn’t do. SHADY. I’ll be watching this.
If purchased wouldn’t this
AIf purchased wouldn’t this make a great spot for the new Chilmark Fire House?
No, it would not be a good
MikeD WTNo, it would not be a good place for a new Fire Department Station House.
Behind the Town Hall is still the best place.
Why would anyone think that developing that farm is a good thing for the town.
Leave it as is.
Aren't there enough developments taking away from the rural vibe of the Vineyard already.
If affordable housing is needed, there are still lots off Meeting House Road, Tea Lane that could be used.
No. Behind town hall is not a
No.No. Behind town hall is not a good place for the station. It’s too small, encroaches on wetlands, and conservation probably isn’t going to approve it. Sorry, public safety goes above your desire for Chilmark to remain quaint. Chilmark will still be plenty rural with one properly sized and built station meant to house the ambulance service which, in case you forgot, also responds to your town.
People are stupid. Leave the
Emily.People are stupid. Leave the farm a farm.
Chilmark needs affordable
Everett ChilmarkChilmark needs affordable housing, but simply paving over a historic farm like this and putting up houses and likely a fire station, as the article indicates, is not the way to go about it. The community of Chilmark needs a buyer who will maintain its agricultural uses and keep the land open to all. This farm is a Chilmark treasure and should be preserved for the community's enjoyment, please don't bury this part of our town history under dense development.
I agree with Everett. A place
Sandy ChilmarkI agree with Everett. A place open to the public and preservation of farming feels right for Chilmark town center.
Clarification: I sign my full
Everett Poole ChilmarkClarification: I sign my full name if and when I write letters. This is not my letter.
I agree. Please keep it open
Jennifer EdgartownI agree. Please keep it open land or farming as was. Overdevelopment is destroying the island and its heritage. It is so sad to me that people would even consider that beautiful piece if property for a new fire station and or affordable housing. Disgraceful!
I agree !!! I don’t even
Janet Montgomery Crystal Beach, Ontario, CanadaI agree !!! I don’t even live there but I would like to see it preserved as farm land as the Fischer family for generations enjoyed it. I picked up a copy of Chris Fischer’s cookbook at a local bookstore in Ridgeway, Ontario (Lakeside Books and Art) and I am thoroughly enjoying the read. It’s more than just a cookbook. - it describes life on the farm and living off the land. I would so love to visit someday, hopefully seeing it as a thriving farm and home to another appreciative family and not paved over. That would indeed be disgraceful!
Correct. Thank you.
Martha MageeCorrect. Thank you.
Amy Schumer should buy the
Pamela West TisburyAmy Schumer should buy the farm. Keep it a farm. Protect small agriculture.
I agree, with a willing and
MWG EdgartownI agree, with a willing and well-heeled owner the farm could continue to be a source of good local food as well as contribute to affordable housing (through tenant farmers) and education (through seasonal farming interns/employees).
Land Bank!
John ChappyLand Bank!
Chilmark folks push
Mike OB (former Chilmark resident)Chilmark folks push affordable housing over the Island towns .... however they always object when its in there back steps.... they have a few "token Lots" thats it...
Which is probably the correct
ECS Edgartown / FLLWhich is probably the correct ratio based on the relative populations. Save the farm, save virtually all the farms and you save the Vineyard.
When the need for a new fire
Dana Nunes VHWhen the need for a new fire station was first brought up, several years ago, wasn’t the need to move it away from busy Beetlebung Corner considered an important argument?
Maybe, but highly impractical
Not sureMaybe, but highly impractical. Beetlebung provides the best central location for an ambulance to be sent up to Aquinnah on State, down to West Tisbury and beyond down South, and throughout Chilmark on North and Middle. It’s reckless to put it anywhere else.
Then leave it the way it is.
EmilyThen leave it the way it is.
Emily, you do understand that
To: EmilyEmily, you do understand that the existing fire station is 1. too small for the apparatus being kept in it, 2. full of asbestos, 3. provides no spaces for meeting or training, and 4. is a generally unsafe, dilapidated shack?
My condolences to the Fisher
Dreamer Martha’s VineyardMy condolences to the Fisher family. What a century your mother and grandmother and great grandmother lived through! Bravo to you all for taking such good care of her. How wonderful she could stay home! And now the difficult decision of what to do with this home. Please forgive my dreaming of a property that is not nor ever will be my own. I merely have taken this liberty as the few before me have. My apologies if anyone in the family takes offense- none intended. My dream for this property would be Chapter 40B housing. Housing for many families, not the token lot that Chilmark sometimes offers for 1 family. Children could walk to school, the library and the playground. The developer could include small garden plots for each apartment or cottage. Perhaps even decendents of the Fishers would live here. Adults and teens could catch the VTA right out their front door. If there ever was a spot for clustered housing in Chilmark - this is it! I know this isn’t the politically correct thing to say, but, I will say it, “With each acquisition that is made by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank and Sheriff’s Meadow and Trustees of Reservation, etc... on this island, housing for island families of all ages, races, ethnic backgrounds and incomes is becoming more scarce and unattainable. Soon, only the rich and famous will live here and hike these trails. Do you ever feel sad when you know there are at least a few Chilmark young people each year who graduate and go off to college, get a degree, and can’t return home because of one thing- housing? Fisher Family, it’s your decision and yours alone. Maybe you have thought of this and maybe there is an adventurous developer reading this letter and maybe, just maybe, the two of you could start to dream this same dream. Maybe you already have. My best wishes whatever happens.
" Do you ever feel sad when
Katherine Scott Tisbury" Do you ever feel sad when you know there are at least a few Chilmark young people each year who graduate and go off to college, get a degree, and can’t return home because of one thing- housing?"
No, not really. People have been leaving the Island for centuries. Also coming, and finding a way to live here.
Many Chilmark families have enough land or a big enough house to provide housing for their relatives.
To take one of the most beautiful spots on the Vineyard---one that thousands of natives and visitors pass and can enjoy without treading on private land---and develop it for housing is a terrible idea. I sincerely hope the sellers put restrictions on development of this property so that it must remain agricultural, or sell it to a conservation entity so that it remains a farm, and the public gets to continue to enjoy beautiful Beetlebung in perpetuity.
Sad they couldn’t keep it up.
EmilySad they couldn’t keep it up. The farmstand I mean. Was very special. For many years I enjoyed my impromptu visits there. Loved the little figures made of shell, feathers and pipe cleaners w the funny eyes. Much whimsy there.
Let's find a way to preserve
Chilmark taxpayer, been here for generations ChilmarkLet's find a way to preserve the entire beautiful farm intact: perhaps the Preservation Trust, Land Bank or Town of Chilmark can find a way to maintain the working farm, views and wetlands as they are. I would consider that a wonderful use of my Chilmark taxes if the Town can buy it. If tenant farmers, agricultural cooperatives, school groups, senior groups, community work/support groups or others can work there (and some may be able to work and live there), all those people can help sustain Beetlebung Corner's unique site. Every other useful suggestion I've seen so far can be better accomplished elsewhere. Restrict usage to preserve this irreplaceable, one-of-a-kind asset for the entire Island's future.
Please just don’t let anyone
Sue Mattapoisett/ MVPlease just don’t let anyone build mega houses or track housing. Leave the farm a farm, the island is losing so much of it charm it’s being over build OPEN SPACE IS WHAT WE NEED TO KEEP!
As Mark Twain said "Buy land,
Christine VHAs Mark Twain said "Buy land, they're not making it anymore"
The land bank protects us from ourselves by purchasing and preserving open land, and no I don't believe this land should be turned into affordable housing but I do think the land bank should start to purchase homes and rent them back as affordable housing....
Watch out! The town wants to
Tori Vineyard HavenWatch out! The town wants to put in a fire station.
We need more workforce
Jonathan Vineyard HavenWe need more workforce housing. Not as dreamy or charming of an idea holding on to the past uses of this property. Owners could do a conservation easement - lots of options. But the need is for housing. the charm of the Island disappears when garbage is not collected or schools and hospitals are understaffed.
Sounds like a great
John ChilmarkSounds like a great opportunity for either the Land Bank and/or Preservation Trust to acquire a historic farm and enter into a leaseback to the Fischer family or another farmer who wanted to work the land on this land with such island history. There are other needs in the town - I understand - but a piece of property like this isn't necessarily the best solution for those needs.
SO--- I thought this was
Bill RyanSO--- I thought this was "hallowed ground"? Generations of farmers, farm to table, sacred land? The Beetlebung Farm Cookbook won an award in part because of its tender homage to the land. How could anyone consider blacktop, lights etc in this beautiful spot? Seems rather strange that there wan't an intention to somehow leave it farmland. I know other farmers there have given up millions to ensure that family land stayed farmland and I am not implying the family should do that. But is there no interest from the Land Bank or other like-minded organizations or individuals?
If the town buys it then it
MarieIf the town buys it then it should be for public good. Town needs housing not a farm.
There is plenty of open space up island. Stop being stingy. Build housing or let it go to a private buyer.
Privste buyer can subdivide
"There is plenty of open
Katherine Scott Tisbury"There is plenty of open space up island. Stop being stingy"
The charm of Beetlebung Corner and Farm is that it is a very special type of open space that actually is not all that common: A lovely traditional farmed landscape that serves as a backdrop to a small village. That forms the day-to-day visual environment for those who drive or walk by. Our beautiful "road scapes" are as important to protect as beauty spots that are away from heavily traveled roads.
The town administrators
Freddyschoice ChilmarkThe town administrators should have obtained approval from the RESIDENTS before they made an offer–totally backwards. As for the fire station, temporarily relocate the equipment to North Road station and replace existing station adjacent to town hall. Lastly, not a fan of affordable housing or the MV Film Festival at this location. Come on and let’s be more mindful on how tax payers’ dollars are managed/spent.
There's no way to relocate
How?There's no way to relocate all apparatus and keep Tri-Town operating smoothly at the North Road station. It's too small.
Haven't heard too many
charlie callahan So Boston/EdgartownHaven't heard too many suggestions for affordable housing. 6 acres of land could have 24 nice little houses on 1/4 acre lots for HARDWORKING cops,firemen,teachers,cooks etc etc who otherwise can't afford to live here
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