West Tisbury selectmen revisited a land disposition agreement integral to the Scott’s Grove affordable development at their meeting Wednesday, Dec. 14. After a discussion with town manager Jennifer Rand, largely regarding language adjustments to an earlier draft, the selectmen unanimously approved the agreement between the town and the Island Housing Trust, the developer of the Scott’s Grove project. The approval marked the next major advancement of the project after West Tisbury voters approved the dedication of $900,000 in Community Preservation Commission (CPC) funds toward the nine-unit rental housing project during a special town meeting last month.
Prior to the approval, the selectmen asked Ms. Rand for a clear definition of the land disposition agreement [LDA]. Ms. Rand described it as an interim document: “The disposition agreement governs the time post-RFP [request for proposal] and pre-ground lease … It’s like a purchase and sale governing the conduct and relationship between the parties until the ground lease is issued,” she said.
The land where the Scott’s Grove project will be realized is located off Edgartown–West Tisbury Road adjacent to West Tisbury Fire Station 1. Before approving the LDA and moving closer to when the parcel would be governed by a ground lease, the selectmen asked Ms. Rand for assurance that the town will still retain title to the land once the ink is dry. She stated that the town would.
Ms. Rand enumerated several legal and clerical changes to the agreement that had been spurred by the selectmen’s previous review of it. The selectmen found those changes to their satisfaction.
“It’s now a much clearer document,” chairman Richard Knabel said.
The audience made no comments prior to the selectmen’s unanimous approval. Most of the room emptied after the vote was taken. Philippe Jordi, executive director of Island Housing Trust, thanked the selectmen for their vote. He also thanked the town for supporting and expediting the project.
Standardizing the ambulance fleet
Tri-Town Ambulance Chief Ben Retmier came before the selectmen to request a vote in favor of the purchase of two new ambulances.
Chief Retmier said that the ambulances stationed in Chilmark and Aquinnah were “between 12 and 15 years old” and needed to be replaced.
The chief said Bull Dog Fire Apparatus, a Hopkinton company that sold Tri-Town its West Tisbury ambulance, had come to the Island to assess the ambulances in question. The chief summed up their appraisal: “They’re not in the best of shape.”
Chief Retmier added that repair options had been explored, but that the refurbishment costs were very close to the cost of replacement. He did not think overhauling the ambulances was the right move for Tri-Town. He argued that it was in the best interests of the ambulance company and communities it serves to replace the vehicles. He gave the selectmen an estimate of the costs for doing so.
“I haven’t received the full quote on the prices yet from them,” he said, “but we’re estimating that each ambulance would be about $175,000.”
Chief Retmier said that the new ambulances wouldn’t be as bulky as the ones they would replace, and that they would run on gasoline instead of diesel. He believed they would last longer than their predecessors. He also said that since they would be nearly identical, they would help achieve fleet standardization, a goal of the ambulance company.
A fund of approximately $370,000 gleaned from Tri-Town’s annual insurance reimbursements — a reserve receipt fund — would pay for the ambulances, according to the chief.
“So we have the money appropriated to go through with this purchase,” he said.
Selectman Cynthia Mitchell asked the chief to clarify whether or not the purchases would wipe out West Tisbury’s ambulance stabilization fund — monies set aside to offset budgetary issues related to ambulance service. Save for its potential uses, West Tisbury’s fund is not connected to Tri-Town’s reserve receipt fund, nor does it necessarily accrue from similar sources. Chief Retmier reaffirmed his opinion that the funds Tri-Town had on hand were sufficient to handle the capital expenditure without seeking West Tisbury’s fiscal assistance.
“It should not affect the town stabilization fund at all,” he replied.
The selectmen voted unanimously to recommend the purchase. The recommendation will go to the Chilmark board of selectmen, the administrative body for Tri-Town Ambulance.