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November 13, 2006
Present: William Meegan, Chair, John Flender, Janet Weidner, Tim Lasker, Rich Osnoss,
Mitchell Posin, Lisa Specht, Administrative Assistant.
Also Present: Wendy Weldon, Squibnocket Pond District Advisory Committee
Absent: Russell Walton
Billy Meegan opened the meeting at 4:30pm.
Squibnocket Pond District Advisory Committee
1. Wendy Weldon, from the Squibnocket Pond District Advisory Committee,
presented her committee’s findings on the quality, quantity, salinity and adequacy of the wells in the Squibnocket Farms area. Some of the SPDAC information was from tests that were done in the 1990’s or earlier and the Planning Board found that the data was too old or incomplete to be useful. The information they did find useful were tests that found high concentrations of sodium in the wells. It was questioned whether or not the Planning Board would be able use the information gathered by SPDAC to control the size of homes in the Squibnocket Farms area.
Bill Wilcox, of the Martha’s Vineyard Commission recommended to the SPDAC
Committee that the Chilmark Board of Health monitor the wells of Squibnocket Farms twice a year, in the early spring and late summer, in order to make recommendations for the water quality issues and safety of the area’s wells. Mr. Wilcox will draft a report for the SPDAC committee with his findings.
The Planning Board discussed whether the Squibnocket Farms subdivision should limit irrigation wells or if the wells in the area should be metered. There was also concern that the water quality of the Squibnocket Farms area may affect surrounding areas.
Wendy will draft a report of the SPDAC findings and recommendations for the Planning Board.
It was agreed that the Planning Board does not need to respond to the SPDAC findings as an emergency. SPDAC should notify the neighborhood of the results of the study and its concerns. The neighborhood should be made aware of the potential problems and the conservation measures they can use to try to prevent them.
In conclusion the Planning Board felt the need to investigate the possibility of future bylaws addressing water usage.
Other Business
2. The Minutes of October 23, 2006 were approved as amended.
3. Leventritt property (Map 17/Lot 7)
The Planning Board signed the Form A (approval not required) for the Leventritt
property.
4. The Planning Board received notification of state approval of the Special Town
Meeting Warrant Article 23.
5. There was discussion as to what direction the Planning Board should take. It was
suggested that the Planning Board try to anticipate the planning concerns for the
town rather than react to them when they are presented to the Board. Are there land-
use planning needs that should be addressed in the town? It was suggested that the
Planning Board take a proactive approach on land-use planning and other
environmental issues.
6. Public Notice Advertising: Chilmark Town Boards have been given a directive by the
Selectmen to use the Martha’s Vineyard Times for advertising. The Planning
Board thought the Vineyard Gazette had a larger off island readership than the
Martha’s Vineyard Times and that many seasonal residents read the legal notices in
order to keep informed with what is going on in town. It was felt that the Gazette
would be the better paper to place public notices for this reason. The recommendation
was to communicate with the Gazette to see what the off island circulation was and
than decide. The motion was seconded and passed.
There was no further business so the meeting was adjourned at 6:30 pm.
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