Oak Bluffs selectmen approve oyster farm

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The yellow pins show the approximate area off Eastville Beach where brothers Dan and Greg Martino plan to farm oysters. — Courtesy of Google Maps

Oak Bluffs selectmen made history Tuesday night when they approved the town’s first aquaculture license with a 4-1 vote. Selectmen granted a three-year license to brothers Dan and Greg Martino for a two-acre farm, located about 100 yards off Eastville Beach on Vineyard Haven harbor.

Selectman Gail Barmakian was the dissenting vote. Ms. Barmakian said she wanted more time to consider the issue.

It has been a long and contentious approval process. Tuesday night was no exception, as the chairman of the selectmen Greg Coogan twice used his gavel to restore order.
Eastville opponents have been regular attendees at shellfish committee meetings and selectmen meetings following a unanimous vote in March by selectmen to grant preliminary approval to the Martinos. The Eastville homeowners have consistently cited concerns about safety for swimmers, boaters, and windsurfers. They also claim that the farm location is vulnerable to nor’easters, which would mar the beach with debris, and that the associated machinery noise and 100 white buoys would damage the aesthetic quality of the shore.
Eastville homeowner Jack Ludwig, along with his sisters Wendy, Amy, and Patricia, have spearheaded opposition to the Martinos’ farm, and retained Boston law firm Sloane and Walsh to represent them. The attorneys submitted a 10-page position statement to the selectmen on Monday detailing their objections. They also asked the selectmen to postpone the vote because they couldn’t attend the meeting, but Mr. Coogan elected to move ahead with a vote.
“We were disappointed,” Mr. Ludwig told The Times on Wednesday morning. “The selectmen decided to take away a public use for a lot of people for a private use for two people. I think the Martino brothers are well-meaning, and aquaculture is almost certainly the future of shellfishing, but we think the location is wrong. The application has a lot of flawed, inaccurate information.”

Mr. Ludwig said he would confer with his family and the 10 other objecting families and decide whether to seek a temporary restraining order by the end of the week.

Adjustments made
The plan the Martinos presented Tuesday night was designed to address earlier concerns.  They reconfigured the layout of their grow cages to allow for a wider path of egress for ease of navigation. They also outlined a plan to reduce susceptibility to storm damage, switched to electric power to mitigate noise, and changed to a smaller, neutral-colored buoy they said will better blend with the surroundings.

The Martinos plan to have 10 cages in operation next summer, and hope to expand to 50 cages by the end of 2015. They will make their first harvest, if all goes to plan, in the summer of 2017. They hope to eventually expand to 100 cages.
Prior to Tuesday’s vote, they received needed approvals from the Division of Marine Fisheries, the Coast Guard, the state Archeological Resources board, Native American tribes, and the Army Corps of Engineers.
Oak Bluffs shellfish constable David Grunden and members of the shellfish committee attended the meeting to show their full support. “We’ve worked with Dan and Greg for several months, and they’ve tried very hard to work with everybody,” Mr. Grunden said. “I think this will be a good thing for the town. It starts a new industry, and it’d be great to see oysters sold in Oak Bluffs that were grown in Oak Bluffs waters.”
Mr. Grunden also said he would be watching the operation closely. “They both know I’m going to hold them to these guidelines. If they don’t do what they proposed, I will shut them down immediately,” he said, to a chorus of groans from skeptical Eastville opponents.

Sailor talk
“I’m not against it. I think you guys have done a great job,” Ms. Barmakian said, addressing the Martinos, “I would just like some more time.” Ms. Barmakian said she was given pause by objections presented by Vineyard Haven Yacht Club member and youth sailing committee member Dan Pesch. “This operation will have a significant impact on our ability to educate Island youth in sailing,” Mr. Pesch said, adding, “It also curtails our ability to run regattas.”
Selectman Kathy Burton, an experienced sailor, contended there was ample space for both activities to coexist.
Mr. Coogan, also an experienced sailor who docks his boat in Vineyard Haven harbor, likewise disagreed with Mr. Pesch. “I sail out there often. It sees like a pretty small area to me. My kids went through that program, and I understand your concerns, but to me they sound more dire than they really are.”
On Wednesday morning, Mr. Coogan told The Times,”I think it might require a little adjustment for the Vineyard Haven Yacht Club, but I don’t see an obstruction in that area. Honestly, I think some of us, kids and adults, will enjoy the obstacles. That’s part of the fun of sailing.”
Mr. Coogan said the bigger issue at hand is creating year-round commerce in Oak Bluffs. “In all of this, we’re trying to promote a sustainable, year-round business. We need more of that in Oak Bluffs.  It’s a struggle for all of us who live here. The Martinos have invested a lot of time and money, and there’s no guarantee they’ll succeed. I think they’ve earned a chance to try. I’ll be sailing by there all the time. If they’re not doing a good job, they’ll hear from me, believe me.”
The 10-page position paper prepared by Sloane and Walsh asserted that the town made it difficult for seasonal residents to be heard. It also implied there was duplicity because Eastville Beach was not on the selectmen’s agenda for the March meeting.  Mr. Coogan dismissed the notion out of hand.

“There were Eastville residents at the first meeting,” he said. “The Martinos sent letters to Eastville residents, and 99 percent were signed for.  There are a lot of other Eastville homeowners who haven’t come forward. Clearly it bothers some people. But at the end of the day, I think we listened to all sides.”