Dock work in Menemsha is on the docket for special town meeting Saturday.
Albert O. Fischer 3rd

Chilmark Voters Tackle School Spending, Town Improvements

From the docks of Menemsha to the rutted roadway at Lucy Vincent Beach, a laundry list of projects are on the docket when voters gather for a special town meeting Saturday afternoon.

From the docks of Menemsha to the rutted roadway at Lucy Vincent Beach, a laundry list of town improvement projects are on the docket when Chilmark voters gather for a special town meeting Saturday afternoon.

The meeting begins at 1 p.m. and will be held outdoors on the basketball courts at the Chilmark Community Center; voters are advised to dress warmly. Town moderator Janet Wiedner will preside. There are 19 articles on the warrant, including a hefty spending measure for a major heating and cooling system upgrade at the Chilmark School.

Voters will be asked to appropriate $950,000 to pay for the installation of a cold climate heat pump system plus additional installation at the town school. The article hinges on approval from the up-Island regional school district and the towns of Aquinnah and West Tisbury. The three up-Island towns have a formula for sharing costs associated with the two-school district.

A separate school article later in the warrant seeks $41,000 to pay for the town’s share of a $321,000 roof replacement project at the West Tisbury School.

Another spending article relates to the ongoing project to build a new fire station and EMS building on town-owned property at 3 Menemsha Crossroad and 399 Middle Road. Architectural design work is already under way, using $640,000 appropriated at the 2019 annual town meeting. On Saturday voters will be asked to approve $5,500 for civil engineering services at the sites.

An array of requests for dock work in Menemsha include $33,000 to replace charter dock floats in the southeast corner of the basin, $50,000 to be taken from the waterways improvement account to complete maintenance dredging and spile replacement, and $4,500 to replace three power pedestals on the transient yacht dock.

Another package of spending items is aimed at computer system upgrades in town hall, including $12,000 to buy software, $26,000 for general upgrades, and $25,000 to install an online permitting system for town departments.

Voters will be asked to spend $5,000 as the town’s match for a $300,000 coastal resiliency grant that is being administered by the Martha’s Vineyard Commission.

A $14,500 transfer from the cemetery lot sale fund will be used to buy and install a fence along the King’s Highway at Abel’s Hill Cemetery, if voters agree.

Another $200,000 transfer from the highway stabilization fund would pay for repairs and improvements on town roads.

The town is being asked to pay $36,000 for its share of a project to replace seawater lines at the John T. Hughes Hatchery in Oak Bluffs.

Voters also will be asked to approve $12,000 to pay for repairs and improvements on the road to Lucy Vincent Beach and at the coastal town parking lot there.

Other requests include:

• $16,000 to cover unpaid bills from a previous fiscal year;

• $35,000 for a new four-wheel-drive pickup truck for the highway department;

• $2,500 to pay for two replacement windows at the North Road fire station;

• $4,500 to buy a line-painting machine for the highway department.

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