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APPROVED
Chilmark Planning Board Subcommittee Meeting
Monday, July 11, 2016
Present: Janet Weidner, Chair, John Eisner, Joan Malkin
Not Present: Peter Cook, Jennifer L. Christy
Public: Barbara Armstrong
Staff:
Meeting called to order at 3:00PM:
- Menemsha Master Plan Planning:
- Ms. Armstrong stated there appeared to be a lot of bus traffic this summer in Menemsha and noted these points:
- 36 go by on weekdays
- 46 go by on weekends
- Some buses appear to be not full and can run until 12:11AM (Route 4 North Road)
- Mr. Eisner stated the size of buses may need to be considered.
- Ms. Malkin stated that Angela Grant of the VTA may provide ridership information so that there is confirmation that the allocation of number and size of buses in Menemsha is the most efficient allocation.
- Ms. Armstrong suggested there may not be specific records available to identify the traffic and use of buses in Menemsha.
- Mr. Eisner stated he would like more information from the VTA regarding fuel use and types of buses purchased for use.
- Ms. Malkin suggested issuing an invitation to Angela Grant to speak at an upcoming meeting.
- Ms. Armstrong stated she had spoken with Tim Carroll regarding his contact with VTA about the ‘blue bird’ buses, which are smaller.
- Ms. Malkin stated her view that the VTA’s use of Menemsha should be partially under the purview of the Planning Board and the Town.
- Brief further discussion occurred about the contribution the buses make to the general congestion in Menemsha.
- Ms. Armstrong also noted the noise and congestion of the refrigerator trucks owned by Red’s Best at the Menemsha Fish House. She noted she had spoken with Alec Gale about the compressor noise and traffic.
- Ms. Weidner stated there is ongoing discussion about how the commercial interests in Menemsha can align with the residential and tourist interests in Menemsha.
- Ms. Armstrong expressed concern that views of residents may be less of a concern in the long run compared with the views of business-owners. Ms. Armstrong emphasized that she is interested in compromise and in assisting business-owners with finding a solution that does not negatively impact business-owners while positively impacting residents. She noted she has spoken to the owner of Larsen’s Fish Market regarding the insulation of the compressors at that location. Ms. Armstrong noted she is working to help solve the issues that may be blocking the installation of insulation at that location.
- Ms. Weidner inquired what the use is of the ‘shanty’ between Larsen’s Fish Market and Stanley Larsen’s fish market. It was suggested that the ‘shanty’ may be owned by the Town of Chilmark, formerly owned by the Poole family. Ms. Malkin suggested that the ownership of the building in question should be determined.
- Discussion regarding meetings with Boards/Committees/Dept. Heads re Menemsha Master Plan work:
- Ms. Malkin noted there is feedback from the different entities that the subcommittee has met with that suggest action from the Planning Board.
- Ms. Weidner noted that the Planning Board may be updating the Master Plan but will not be the entity that creates policies and procedures to adhere to the objectives and goals of the Master Plan for Menemsha unless a zoning bylaw is required.
- Ms. Malkin noted the MV Fishermen’s Preservation Trust’s objective to “grow” the commercial fishing industry and wondered how the Planning Board may be able to interpret that objective in the context of the Menemsha Master Plan.
- Mr. Eisner stated the Planning Board’s role may be to identify a balance among the competing interests and be a conduit for a balance and control of the area so that there is a balance.
- Ms. Malkin asked if the Planning Board is to be interested in the economic growth of Menemsha within the context of the Menemsha Master Plan.
- Ms. Weidner noted the Board needs to identify what areas of concern are to be pursued for the purpose of the Menemsha Master Plan.
- Me. Eisner noted the Board will need to put forward its idea of what is important to consider and include as a part of the plan. The Board, he continued, will need to put forward its vision for Menemsha and preferably one that balances as much as possible the competing interests in Menemsha.
- Ms. Malkin noted that in order to have a knowledgeable position on any topic, such as the future economic sustainability of Menemsha or traffic or the quality of the beach, the Board would need to have identified the current status of resources (parking space, storage space, number of structures, revenue from boats slips, number of slips, needs of current recreational and commercial boats, etc…). Mr. Eisner noted that the Board will need to take a position and then work to support that position. Ms. Malkin noted she is not sure of how to know what position to take due to a lack of knowledge of the specific needs, pressures, status of Menemsha.
- The subcommittee discussed organizing the topics in categories.
- Ms. Malkin states she will organize this category tool and noted two key areas that have arisen.
- Traffic
- Economic development
- Mr. Eisner reiterated his view that the Board will need to put forward a vision and this vision will direct the development of objectives for each of the issues that are apparent in Menemsha.
- General discussion occurred regarding the origin and maintenance of Menemsha as a special location in the Town.
- Ms. Malkin stated the Board needs to try to view and describe Menemsha and the goal is to preserve that place and to help the entities that comprise Menemsha maintain the delicate balance that preserves the place of Menemsha.
- Ms. Weidner stated she believes this is correct, but she wants to hear from more people and groups before she can agree on what Menemsha is and the direction in which it should go.
- Discussion regarding the August 8th Meeting with the Board of Selectmen:
- Ms. Weidner stated the meeting should be a place to gather more input and the subcommittee is not ready to provide any information about how the Menemsha Master Plan may be developing.
- Ms. Malkin asked how the subcommittee would advertise the August 8th meeting and Ms. Weidner stated the town columns advertise the meeting.
- Ms. Weidner stated the subcommittee would open the discussion and then ask for feedback.
- Ms. Malkin noted she would like to show that the Board is leading a concerted and organized effort to gather input on Menemsha regarding the Master Plan.
- Ms. Weidner suggested people have paper and pencil to mark down ideas and feedback at the meeting.
- The members asked Ms. Christy to create an advertisement for the papers for the August 8th meeting and to ask for the Board to appear before the Board of Selectmen at their August 2, 2016 meeting to discuss the August 8th meeting.
- Discussion regarding a meeting with the Emergency Services re the Menemsha Master Plan:
- Ms. Malkin suggested asking the Fire Chief, Disaster Planning Committee and the Tri-Town Chief, when the subcommittee meets with them, to address the specific disaster plans the entities have for Menemsha.
- Minutes of June 27, 2016:
- The minutes for these two meetings were reviewed and approved with changes.
- Meeting adjourned at 4:23PM.
Minutes respectfully submitted by Jennifer L. Christy
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