Town Committee on Squibnocket
Minutes
October 28, 2014
Chilmark Town Hall Selectmen’s Meeting Room
8am
Present: Jim Malkin (Chair), Dan Greenbaum, Steve Flanders, Allison Burger, Jane Slater, Janet Weidner, Ron Rappaport (ex officio)
Also Present: Sue Regen, Richard Regen, Barbara Lee, David Damroth, Chris Murphy, Jay Walsh, Paul Hornblower
Minutes of October 21, 2014 were approved.
Upcoming Meeting: Jim Malkin asked the Committee to meet at 8am on Friday, October 31, 2014 to discuss the Parking Lot and Beach matrix, since Janet Weidner was unable to attend today’s meeting.
Matrix: Access Road Alternatives: The Committee discussed the matrix prepared by Dan Greenbaum which compares features of environmental impacts, required approvals, visual impacts, property requirements, constructability and financial requirements of various access road alternatives. A suggestion was made to add “salinity of Squibnocket Pond” to the categories of concern under environmental impacts.
The Committee discussed the need to establish whether or not a given proposal or element of a proposal is even feasible before spending time and resources exploring it. Jim Malkin suggested that inquiries regarding feasibility be made with a clear timeline for responses.
The Committee also discussed to what level of detail financial assessment of various proposals can or should be made: the Committee does not control cost factors such as negotiations over the value attached to a piece of property, for example. However, it is important to have some sense of the relative “ballpark” figures involved for the different proposals.
Dan Greenbaum outlined a rough order of priority for determinations to be made in assessing the feasibility of proposals: 1) the ability to get regulatory approval; 2) whether agreement for an expanded beach would be possible; 3) wetland concerns; 4) property requirements (less of a concern if sellers/buyers are willing participants in a proposal); 5) constructability and maintenance requirements.
The Committee will have to determine what could trigger obligating the Town to make a bathing beach fully accessible to the public, not restricted to Chilmark residents only. Ron Rappaport clarified that the question of Town ownership vs. lease of land does not by itself resolve this question; for example, if certain State funding is used, there may be a requirement for public access.
Experts to Assist Committee: Jim Malkin noted that under State regulations, it will be necessary for the Board of Selectmen to put the environmental expert scope of work out to bid. Alison provided amendments to the scope of work previously prepared. After discussion, it was determined that Dan, Allison and Jim will meet after the Committee meeting to finalize the Environmental Expert’s scope of work for the Board of Selectmen.
The meeting adjourned at 09:10.
The next meeting of the Committee will be held on Friday, October 31 at 8am.
Adopted October 31, 2014
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