West Tisbury voters meet Tuesday

By Susan Vaughn - November 22, 2006

West Tisbury voters will be asked Tuesday to approve requests totaling more than $290,000 for various projects, including a new path along Edgartown Road, resurfacing the library and Howes House parking lot, town road reconstruction, and cemetery surveying.

Fourteen articles are on the warrant for the meeting at 7 pm at the West Tisbury Elementary School. Meeting moderator Pat Gregory last week encouraged voters to attend the meeting, saying five percent of the voters, or between 110 and 115, must be present for a quorum.

The path extension from the police station to just east of the Youth Hostel is the biggest cost item on the warrant at $190,000. The selectmen had expressed some concerns at an earlier meeting about the path's price tag, but decided to leave the decision up to the voters. The funding would come from the town's free cash, which is currently about $482,000.

The Paths Beside the Roadway Committee would like the approval now because getting state approvals takes time, and the committee would like the construction done before Memorial Day, committee chairman William Haynes told the selectmen.

The next largest item on the warrant is $25,000 for resurfacing and maintaining the library-Howes House parking lot, which the selectmen agreed is in need of repair and ongoing maintenance.

The selectmen unanimously recommended the $22,774 allocation for reconstruction of various town roads, which will be reimbursed by the state.

Also on the warrant is a request for $20,000 from free cash that would allow the Space Needs Committee to continue its work and get professional assistance for costing out the capital program options. The committee also will be asked to report its findings and recommendations at the 2007 annual town meeting.

The voters will be asked to approve a $10,000 transfer from the sale of cemetery lots for maintaining and surveying the West Tisbury, Lambert's Cove, and North Tisbury cemeteries. The selectmen have been working in recent months toward updating the cemetery records and recently purchased computer software for that purpose.

The Board of Assessors needs an additional $9,000 for a valuation update of real and personal property to meet state certification requirements. If approved by the voters, $6,430 of that amount would come from free cash and $2,570 from unspent funds in the FY2005 valuation update.

The selectmen recommend approval of the following:

A $4,860 payment from free cash to Vineyard Land Surveying for a prior year bill for surveying the Old Stage Road layout. The article requires approval by nine-tenths of the voters.

Redirecting $5,000 from the elected officials' salary line to the selectmen's expenses to make the funds available to town boards and committee for MVTV videotaping of meetings. Selectmen Jeffrey "Skipper" Manter chose to forego his salary and recommended using it for the videotaping.

A $2,000 transfer from free cash to purchase and install programmable, setback thermostats in the town hall, library, police station, public safety building and Howe's House.

A $1,000 transfer from free cash for professional development training for town hall employees.

Other articles on the warrant include a request to transfer:

$2,714 for Tri-Town Ambulance advanced life support coordinator and $1,265 for Tri-Town Ambulance coordinator.

$1,500 to allow the Board of Assessors to digitize the town's tax maps in preparation for acquiring a GIS system.

The voters also will be asked to approve an amendment to the driveway bylaw that would require a driveway permit for any alteration to an existing driveway. Town officers and committees also will present reports at the meeting.