Tisbury ready to go to the dogs

By Janet Hefler - October 5, 2006

Although the Tisbury selectmen's meeting Tuesday night focused mainly on a final report from the beer and wine review committee (see separate article in this issue), other business made for a full agenda, as well.

During his department report, Police Chief John Cashin presented Officer Tim Stobie with a commendation for doing an outstanding job as acting police chief this summer, on behalf of the police department, the selectmen, and town administrator John Bugbee.

Selectman chairman Tristan Israel announced that a new dog park off Holmes Hole Road will be ready to open at the end of the month. Without selectman Denys Wortman, who is vacationing, Mr. Israel and selectman Tom Pachico voted to name it the John Rogers Dog Park, in memory of the beloved animal control officer who served the town for many years.

The selectmen approved a permit to install a new free solar panel on the Tisbury School roof. Donated to the town by the Cape Light Compact as the result of the community's participation in the "Green Energy" program, the panel will generate some electricity for the school.

The selectmen also approved a proposal to erect a meteorological data collection tower near the landfill for the purpose of studying the feasibility of a wind turbine at the site, pending approval, if necessary, from the town's zoning board of appeals.

Near the meeting's end, Mr. Pachico commented angrily on an article in last week's Times regarding the Department of Public Works commissioners who have instructed DPW director Fred LaPiana not to attend the selectmen's meetings because of the way Mr. Pachico had treated him during a recent meeting between the selectmen and the DPW board.

Mr. Pachico said he took offense at the article accusing him of bullying behavior. He wanted to clarify that the DPW was not excluded from a meeting about the reconstruction of the Water Street parking lot in July.

Mr. LaPiana did attend that meeting, but was told afterwards by his board that he should not attend subsequent meetings about the parking lot until the selectmen and the DPW commissioners resolved their differences.

Regarding the July 24 joint meeting between the DPW board and the selectmen, Mr. Pachico said, "I regret it was as heated as it was."