Edgartown selectmen approved a short list of routine articles for the October 28 special town meeting, during their regular Monday meeting. Articles relating to the redesign of a new library were not among the approved articles, as had been planned.
The library building committee has not yet agreed on a plan for a scaled back version of the project that was scrapped last year for lack of private donations to fund it.
One idea being considered for the scaled back project is to refurbish the old Edgartown School as a new library. Another is to sell the historic Captain Warren House and use the proceeds to refurbish and expand the current library.
Voters agreed to buy the Warren House for $3.5 million in 2005. The original library design plan called for that historic building to be incorporated into an expanded library.
In other business, the selectmen expressed support for a new venture to power all town buildings with solar energy. The project would be funded in part through the Cape and Vineyard Energy Cooperative. Any excess energy generated would be available to other coop members. Though the project is still in the early planning stages, the town is considering a large parcel of water department property off West Tisbury Road to place the solar arrays that would generate four megawatts of power. The solar infrastructure would require two separate six-acre parcels.
Also Monday, selectmen heard a proposal to establish a triathlon on Martha’s Vineyard. The event, planned for next September, would begin with a one-mile swim in Katama Bay and end after a 26-mile bike ride and a 6.2-mile run, at the Gay Head cliffs in Aquinnah.
Selectmen liked the idea, but asked race developer Matthew Brackman to consult with public safety officials, and asked the police chief to report to them on the plan, before they approve it.
