In a sparsely attended meeting Tuesday evening, Chilmark selectmen Jim Malkin and Bill Rossi, minus third board member Warren Doty, made quick work of a light agenda in a 35-minute session.
Selectmen approved a request from Boston television station WCVB to allow its news and features show “Chronicle” to film for its long-running segment, “Main Streets and Back Roads” on Oct. 3-7.
Selectmen, who in the past have been wary of any filming that would prove disruptive, approved the request, citing the less busy shoulder season. Police Chief Brian Cioffi added a request for “no disruption of the regular flow of everybody in Chilmark.”
“You know I’m a fan of that show,” Mr. Rossi said. “I think we’re pretty strict about during the season not giving permission, but I think “Chronicle” is a good show and sort of a public-interest program. I think it fits the Island pretty well.”
“‘Chronicle’ has not been a problem in the past,” executive secretary Tim Carroll said.
In other business, Tri-Town Ambulance Chief Ben Retmier asked selectmen to approve the hiring of deputy chief Matt Montanile and full-time paramedic Traci Cooney following the expiration of the pair’s six-month probation period. Selectmen approved the request.
“I love working here; I think it’s a great place,” Mr. Montanile said.
“I’ve found a great home in Tri-Town EMS,” Ms. Cooney said.
“They’ve all done well by us,” added Chief Cioffi.
In other business, selectmen also weighed in on erecting a school-zone speed radar sign in the town center. The sign, common in school zones around the Island, shows the posted speed limit in the school zone and features an electronic sign that announces how fast a vehicle is moving, and blinks if it exceeds the speed limit.
“It’s a lot of money, so I’m giving you a lot of paper [information],” said Mr. Carroll, who later told The Times the cost for a new unit is about $5,000.
“I think it’s going to create a much safer situation,” said Mr. Rossi.
“Edgartown has one, and realistically I’d like to see some more of those,” said Chief Cioffi. “You know the speed limit, it tells you how fast you’re going, it alerts you it’s a school zone.”
“I think it will create better habits of people driving from Aquinnah and the western part of Chilmark,” Mr. Rossi said.
Selectmen also received a report on the income from beach stickers, which was up up 6.07 percent from the previous summer. In 2015 the town raked in $186,305, while 2016 saw $197,610 in sales.
Selectmen also approved the town to join the Southeast Homeland Security Regional Advisory Council (SRAC), which would give the town access to a cache of equipment that is available to the community for “emergency response and other governmental uses.”
At the moment the cache includes signboard trailers, light trailers, and 70-kilowatt generators.
“One thing we don’t have on this end of the Island, or Martha’s Vineyard as a whole, is 800-megahertz public safety radios,” Mr. Carroll said.
“Right now most of our communications rely on the Internet and the cable that comes over here,” said Mr. Carroll. “It’s kind of a mixed bag.”
Chief Cioffi said Island police agencies are looking at an overhaul of the radio system. “We had a very long meeting today about it, trying to apply for some grant funding to change the way our radios systems work,” he said. “They basically work off the phone lines now; we’re trying to come up with other avenues — digital and things like that. It is very expensive.”
Moving along, selectmen discussed erecting green plastic snow fencing at Menemsha Beach this winter to prevent sand from covering the parking lot and other areas. “It’s a good idea as long as we get the endorsement of the conservation commission,” said Mr. Rossi.
Last, selectmen were curious about the attendance of the police chief, who does not as a rule attend meetings unless there is police-related business on the agenda.
“Chief, are you here for a specific reason?” Mr. Rossi asked.
“I just enjoy coming to see you,” Chief Cioffi said with a slight smile.
“We love having you in the room too — it seems to go better,” Mr. Rossi said.
Mr. Rossi summed up the evening: “This might be the quickest meeting we’ve had in a long time.”