Some expensive vittles

0

To the Editor:

The Chilmark town meeting has approved the tenant farmer plan for Tea Lane Farm. During the meeting, we were told about the goals the town would set for the farmer. We discussed how the building repairs would proceed and which town committee would oversee the work.

However, nobody mentioned the true cost of this adventure. Chilmark will be leasing an expensive property for a fraction of its value. The farm will not be paying property taxes, and we invested $100,000 to get it started. I do not think it is an exaggeration to say that this farm will be producing some of the most expensive food in the world. We should keep this in mind when the next town meeting has to discuss tax increases.

I send my best wishes for good crops and success to the farmer. I will be sending pocket calculators to our selectmen.

Jay Ayer

Chilmark