The Edgartown capital program committee recommended a series of capital projects totaling $1.7 million to selectmen at a regular meeting on Monday night. The projects will all appear on the April annual town meeting warrant; the meeting was part of the review process.
The committee voted to recommend requests from Katama Airfield, the highway department, the fire department, and the wastewater department.
The committee reviews and assesses requests from town departments that cost more than $100,000 so that big-ticket items are not a surprise come town meeting.
In a report to selectmen, the capital program committee included details about the fiscal year 2017 (FY17) requests. Edgartown police officer Jamie Craig requested $167,000 on behalf of Katama Airfield to replace an underground fuel tank and fuel pumps. He noted that the tank is nearing its expected lifespan, and that the replacement must be above ground.
Fire Chief Peter Shemeth submitted a $260,000 request to replace an ambulance. The highway department submitted requests for $775,000 worth of street paving, $200,000 in sidewalk and catch-basin work, and $200,000 for a Vactor drain-cleaning machine. The water department requested $60,000 for general water system improvements, $40,000 for a new pickup truck, and $3,000 for a new lawn tractor.
The dredge committee submitted a $950,000 request for a new dredge machine, but no one from the dredge committee met with the capital program committee, so the recommendation was not voted on. The harbormaster’s department submitted a $235,000 request for a new work vessel, but also did not appear before the committee, so it took no action on the request.
All town departments were asked to submit a five-year plan for capital projects to the committee. Down the line, the fire department anticipates replacing three fire trucks and another ambulance. The highway department’s future projects are generally all maintenance costs except for an anticipated roof replacement and insulation installation in the town’s highway barn in 2018. The police department hopes to secure funding for building maintenance and renovation of the station’s lobby in 2018. The water department’s future projects are general maintenance, and the airfield department submitted no additional projects for the next five years. No other departments had plans in the report to selectmen.
