Outdoor furnace regulations hazy for Tisbury selectmen
By Janet Hefler - March 2, 2006
The Tisbury selectmen tackled a full agenda Tuesday night, with more discussion about outdoor wood-burning furnaces, interviews with candidates for the Community Preservation Committee, and updates on various town projects.
The outdoor wood-burning furnace (OWF) issue continues to smolder in Vineyard Haven, according to Ken Barwick, Tisbury's building and zoning inspector. Mr. Barwick said his department has received more feedback from residents, both pro and con, including a draft regulation for the town to consider from Larry Gomez, owner of Greenwood House Bed and Breakfast, and Henry Stephenson, a Tisbury planning board member.
Mr. Gomez lives near an OWF in operation by Peter Goodale at the corner of Greenwood Ave. and Franklin St., and Mr. Henry lives near one operated by Jeff Baker on Midland Ave. Mr. Barwick said he continues to monitor the units, and asked Mr. Baker to be considerate about noise from operating his loud saw to cut wood. Mr. Gomez said that he and Mr. Goodale are working together to resolve their differences.
After researching regulations passed in other states, Mr. Stephenson and Mr. Gomez drafted an ordinance that would ban the operation of OWFs entirely in Vineyard Haven, require smoke and pollution mitigation in those in operation, and set limits on allowable noise levels while cutting wood. The selectmen agreed the board of health should review the proposed ordinance with town counsel.
Continuing his department report, Mr. Barwick announced that the prefabricated steel building constructed at the Department of Public Works is certified for occupancy and ready for the arrival of Tisbury's new fire truck this Saturday.
With the truck's arrival planned for early morning, Tisbury firefighters will spend Saturday and Sunday training on their new truck, said town administrator John Bugbee. Once they are trained, plans will be made for a big celebration. For those who would like to take the old fire truck home, put in your bids when it goes up on eBay on March 11.
In a progress report on the construction of a new Lagoon Pond boat launching facility and parking lot, harbormaster Jay Wilbur said the ramp bids were opened on Feb. 23 and the state's Public Access Board plans to award the contract in the next few weeks. "They are committed to finishing it by June 1," Mr. Wilbur said.
The harbormaster and the selectmen also discussed mooring bills and fines for non-inspection, which were mailed out with the bills. The selectmen felt there was some confusion regarding the process, but Mr. Wilbur explained that many of the people who received the $25 fines were almost two years in violation. On March 9 at 5 pm at town hall, the selectmen will review proposed changes in the town's waterways regulations.
Turning to other town projects, Mr. Bugbee reported the Water Street parking lot committee unanimously picked the Cecil Group as the project design firm. Although the town had allocated $20,000 towards engineering services, the winning bid came in at $10,000 over, which Mr. Bugbee suggested taking out of the construction funds.
Regarding the proposed new emergency services facility (ESF), Mr. Bugbee said the committee working on site selection met last Wednesday and will make final recommendations to the selectmen on March 14.
In other business, Ted Saulnier, Tisbury's Chief of Police, said the police department's phone system has been evaluated and found not only to be inadequate but also incompatible with existing answering systems. He proposed a warrant article for $5,000 to purchase a new system, which would provide a crucial link for his department to the Island's 24-hour emergency communication system.
Tonight at 7 pm at the Tisbury Senior Center, the selectmen will meet with the Finance and Advisory Committee to review all of the April 4 annual town meeting warrant articles.
