Tisbury selectmen approve fueling regulation

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At a meeting Tuesday night Tisbury selectmen wrapped up a waterways regulations hearing continued twice since March 2 and decided to allow commercial fishermen to refuel at the dock using a commercial delivery service.

The Tashmoo management committee (TMC) and harbor management committee (HMC) had recommended amending the waterways regulations to prohibit fueling of boats at town docks, piers, and landings. As an exception, however, boaters would have been allowed to transport fuel to their boats from a dock in portable containers that hold two-and-a-half gallons or less.

Commercial fishermen at Tuesday’s meeting argued that it would be safer to get fuel deliveries from a licensed professional commercial fuel dealer, such as Jay McMann of Island Fuel, than to fill their tanks from small containers.

The selectmen agreed and voted to permit licensed commercial fishermen to refuel their boats at the Lake Street dock. Other boaters will be allowed to fuel their boats at the dock using state-approved 5-gallon containers.

The selectmen also asked the TMC to come up with recommendations regarding the hours, days of the week, and number of days for fueling operations at the dock, as well as safety requirements, enforcements, and penalties. The TMC meets next at 5 pm, May 13 at the Tisbury Senior Center.

The selectmen will meet again at 5:30 pm, Tuesday for a work session to finalize the town’s beer and wine rules and regulations and approve application paperwork. Once approved, the selectmen said beer and wine license applications would be available on May 12.

In other business, the selectmen reorganized their board and elected Jeffrey Kristal as the chairman.

During the selectmen’s discussion session, Mr. Kristal said he had received complaints about offensive emails town employees he did not identify had sent to other employees and Island residents.

Mr. Kristal suggested the selectmen should meet with town boards to discuss the issue and how to address it, including disciplinary actions. They agreed with that course of action.