Oak Bluffs selectmen clash over grant funds
Oak Bluffs selectmen Kerry Scott clashed Tuesday with her colleagues over a grant whose funds would be used to improve critical parts of the town's beachfront and a town park. The funding requires a town match, and while she said she supports the planned improvements, Ms. Scott complained that the source of the town match had not been sufficiently vetted during the grant application process.
Ms. Scott sparred extensively with chairman Greg Coogan during the meeting.
The grant of $299,204.50 is funded by the federal government and administered by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation to improve access to town parks. Grant funds will be used to repair the brick bathrooms near the Steamship Authority terminal, to create a comfort station to replace the "snack shack," demolished after the collapse of the seawall, and to correct drainage issues in Waban Park. The grant, obtained by parks commission chairman Nancy Phillips, requires the town to match grant money for engineering and construction.
Michael Dutton, the town manager, outlined in detail a variety of specific town funding sources that would fulfill the 50-percent matching requirements, including Community Preservation Act funds, state highway funds, shellfish department funds, in-kind services from the town's highway department, and the selectmen's professional services budget.
After meeting with Mr. Dutton privately earlier in the week, Ms. Scott questioned Mr. Dutton extensively on the funding plan during the selectmen's meeting, and she criticized the process of getting the grant money. "The problem is, we have a grant that was successful," she said. "But we have a problem because the match piece wasn't vetted ahead of time. Even though I have a lot of questions, I'm certainly in support of doing this. The grant was written without a lot of participation from your office [addressing Mr. Dutton], or anybody else. We need to be very clear about what we're doing with town money."
After many questions, selectmen Ron DiOrio made a motion to approve the funding plan outlined by Mr. Dutton, but Ms. Scott raised more questions. Mr. DiOrio's second request for a vote prompted a sharp exchange between Mr. Coogan and Ms. Scott.
"Can I make a recommendation that if you have that many questions, you go over it ahead of time with Michael [Dutton]," said Mr. Coogan. "The rest of us are ready to move. I think you're holding the other four of us hostage, because you're putting us to sleep with your questions. I'm interested in information gathering, but I also think the rest of us are losing focus. As chair, I feel like, come on, move this thing along."
"This belongs here in open session, so the public knows we're looking out for them," said Ms. Scott.
"When you were chair, you ran the meetings the way you wanted to," said Mr. Coogan. He said, as chairman, he has the option to end debate.
"There are lots of times when we have to listen to each other," said Ms. Scott. "I chose to air it in public in the interest of the public."
Shortly after that exchange, selectmen voted 5-0 to approve Mr. Dutton's funding plan without changes.
Liquor sanctions
In other action, Mr. Dutton informed the board that the state's Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC) has issued penalties against four Oak Bluffs establishments after investigators determined they sold alcohol to underage customers during pre-announced compliance checks in April.
The ABCC's most severe sanction was against the Ritz Café, which was handed a 10-day suspension of its alcohol license, beginning Wednesday, July 15. According to the ABCC decision, this is the eighth violation since 2000. Also sanctioned were Vineyard Thai Cuisine, and O-Sun restaurants. Both were given three-day suspensions, but the suspensions were held in abeyance provided there are no further violations in the next two years. In the fourth case, Tony's Market was given a warning, but no suspension.
At hearings before the commission, all the establishments admitted to the facts outlined by investigators. All have the right to appeal the sanctions.
Special status
Selectmen also voted to give special municipal employee status to members of the zoning board of appeals and the energy committee. Without special municipal employee status, members of those boards are prohibited by state ethics rules from representing any private party before any town board. The special status allows them, in most cases, to represent private parties before town boards other than their own.
The action came after a recommendation from Mr. Dutton, who said it is difficult in a small community to avoid conflicts when public officials serve many roles, and public and private business often intersect. For example, a lawyer who serves on the zoning board would violate ethics laws by representing a client before the conservation commission, even if the issue were completely unrelated to zoning. "What they're really doing is acknowledging that small towns are small towns, and it's virtually impossible to avoid conflict," he said.
Selectmen voted 4-0 to approve special municipal status for the zoning board of appeals and the energy committee. Selectmen DiOrio abstained, because he is a member of the energy committee.
Spill report
Early in the meeting, selectmen heard a report from Mr. Dutton about a spill of diesel fuel at the White Brothers-Lynch garage on Vineyard Avenue on Thursday, June 4. According to the fire department report, an employee said approximately 2.5 gallons of diesel fuel was spilled. Firefighters put containment booms around catch basins, to keep fuel from entering the drainage system.
Near the end of the meeting, Matt Cramer, a resident of the neighborhood, offered another account. He said employees of the company used detergent and hoses to disperse the spill before firefighters arrived. He said he watched diesel fuel flowing into catch basins. He said a strong fuel smell permeated the neighborhood and nearby wetlands.
"How do we prevent them from washing it into the street," asked Mr. Cramer. "Why weren't they containing it on their own property, with absorbent materials?" Selectmen agreed to seek more information on the incident.
During her selectman's report, early in the meeting, Ms. Scott attacked The Martha's Vineyard Times in a five-minute statement. She objected to an article published in the June 4 edition, under the headline "Sea View rehab effort hobbled; official criticized." The article reported the allegations of several town officials that the Sea View Waterfront Committee, of which Ms. Scott is chairman, is in disarray, while infighting and personality conflicts hamper the effort to repair the town's crumbling beach infrastructure.
Ms. Scott said the The Times did not misquote her, but she said the reporter deliberately took documents out of context. She offered emails that she said refuted allegations by town officials that she improperly authorized the hiring of engineers and consultants.
Selectmen and other town officials made no comment on the statement and moved quickly on to the business of the meeting.
