Updated May 21, 1 pm
Chilmark officials are preparing the town for one of the landmark Vineyard holiday weekends leading into summer.
Islanders see the time around Memorial Day conventionally as the start to a steep increase in commercial activity and population, but officials are looking at the weekend as a gauge for how to structure parking, beach capacity, and other elements of a Chilmark summer during a pandemic.
In a detailed letter issued to the board of selectmen, Police Chief Jonathan Klaren proposed a comprehensive parking plan that seeks to enhance pedestrian safety and accommodate the various changes in business practices caused by social distancing and health requirements.
In a meeting of the board of selectmen, Klaren said he anticipates Memorial Day weekend to be a busy one, but said that by reducing some parking spots, utilizing live parking for curbside food pickup, and maintaining a consistent police presence, the popular Vineyard weekend could be kept under control.
Klaren proposed that the town reduce the 12 existing five-hour parking spaces from the comfort station to the gas station in Menemsha to 30-minute spaces from noon to 9 pm. Four of those 30-minute spaces would be designated as live parking spaces, where the vehicle must be occupied by at least one person. Standing, stopping, or parking along the west side of West Basin Road would be prohibited.
Additional signage indicating the live parking spaces and “No Standing” areas were also included in the proposal.
Chilmark board of health member Jan Burhman said Memorial Day weekend could be a “good opportunity for a trial run” before July comes around. Board of health chair Katie Carroll said the board has met with all food service providers with exception of the Home Port, and everyone has been doing well in their preparations. “Everyone is sure this is going to be a fluid process of maybe trying to tweak things going forward,” Carroll said. She said food providers are urging that all customers call in and order food ahead of time, instead of walking up to the restaurant.
Selectman Jim Malkin wondered if, as part of the food pickup for the five Chilmark food establishments, there could be signs near the live parking spaces requiring that one person per party pick up the food, instead of the whole family.
Carroll said there are signs that indicate one person per party should pick up any food orders, but Klaren said it would be difficult to allocate the manpower to enforce that rule and consistently monitor those spots.
Health inspector Marina Lent said one thing she addressed during her inspection of the business district in Chilmark is families bunching up together. Board of health member Matt Poole suggested that the town install its own sponsored signage so that food establishments don’t have to bear the monetary brunt of enforcing social distancing requirements.
Board of selectmen chair Warren Doty asked Klaren to work with town administrator Tim Carroll to come up with appropriate signage. Apart from the change in parking (assuming signage is available by then), Carroll said sunset in Menemsha will be “pretty much business as usual.” Malkin said Chilmark could be looking at “a throng” of people in Menemsha. Doty suggested that officials meet again next week to discuss the Menemsha parking lot, the beach, and the sunset issue.
Other popular areas in Chilmark, such as Squibnocket and Lucy Vincent Beach, are also cause for concern. Chair of the beach committee Clarissa Allen said that officials are wondering whether further actions should be taken at the beaches to create social distancing. Currently, parking spaces in Chilmark beaches are reduced by 50 percent. Allen said the idea of alternating days based on license plate numbers or parking stickers has been pitched. “We are just not sure which direction to go with it, and whether it might be more complicated than it’s worth,” Allen said.
Moor concerns for Chilmark
Chilmark harbormaster Ryan Rossi said he has received a handful of requests from seasonal mooring owners stating that they don’t want to put their boat on the water this summer, either because of economic hardships or concerns surrounding the coronavirus and social distancing.
Normally, if a residential slip or mooring permit holder is not going to utilize their slip or mooring, they need to request a one-year grace period from the harbor master. If they are awarded a grace period, they have to utilize their slip for the following year. This year, Rossi said the town is waiving the need for a one-year grace period. Slip and mooring fees have already been paid for the 2020 season, and owners are still responsible to pay for their slip or mooring by Jan. 15 of 2021 for the 2021 boating season.
Rossi said that all mooring securities are paid in advance, but that he doesn’t think those boat owners should be at risk of losing their slip or mooring if they don’t use them this season.
Selectmen agreed to waive the one-year grace period in lieu of the coronavirus pandemic.
In other nautical business, Offshore Engineering has completed all of the crossmember bolt replacements along Dutcher Dock, has rounded the corner at the gas dock, and will continue working on the commercial dock in the coming days. “Everything is running smoothly, and they are working quickly,” Rossi said.
Selectman also accepted a request from Offshore Engineering owner John Packer, who has been dredging out West Basin on the Aquinnah side of the channel.
Packer requested that the town allow him to use his barge to transport the dredged sand to Dutcher Dock, and then unload the sand into dump trucks staged in the Menemsha parking lot.
Updated to correct misinformation that selectmen waived fees for moorings. The only action selectmen took regarding moorings was to waive the one-year grace period for residential slip and mooring holders. — Ed.