On Sept. 28, Tisbury’s select board voted 2-0 to decline a right of first refusal following an announcement by Mink Meadows Golf Course president Joe Fitzgerald that a parcel of club land was to be sold for $800,000. The parcel, which is subject to statute under Chapter 61B, cannot be sold without offering Tisbury a first crack at it. The statute provides tax benefits for landowners who, among other things, are able to provide land for public use of wildlife conservation.
“This is the third lot that we have subdivided off the golf course,” Fitzgerald told the board. “All these lots have been approved by the Tisbury planning board. The reason that we’re doing this is to generate funds, first of all to replace our irrigation system at the golf course, parts of which go back 80 years, believe it or not. And then the rest of the funds will be used to fund environmental work that we want to do on our saltwater ponds and our freshwater ponds in the beach area of the community.”
Fitzgerald asked the board to decline to exercise its right of first refusal. He didn’t clarify, except that a buyer was already in place. Fitzgerald couldn’t be immediately reached for comment. Tisbury town administrator Jay Grande said the town has not exercised such a right in the past, and absent a compelling reason, needn’t do so in this case.
Fitzgerald also said there was a “five-year clawback provision” on the tax benefits the club has enjoyed. He estimated Tisbury will be getting $10,000 to $15,000 of tax money from the sale, due to the clawback provision.
Grande said after the sale, the parcel would return to Tisbury’s regular tax rolls.
Fitzgerald said the lot before the board would be the last such lot the golf course sells off.
