Members of the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School school committee are hoping to set up a joint meeting with Oak Bluffs’ officials to come to a resolution over the school’s athletic fields.
After an executive session at the MVRHS School Committee meeting on Thursday night, chair of the committee Robert Lionette made a statement to move towards resolution of the litigation between the high school committee and the town of Oak Bluffs over the new athletic field. In the executive session the committee came to an agreement that a three board public meeting should be held.
“We the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School School Committee, have instructed our attorney Brian Wetter, to engage with the town of Oak Bluffs through their attorney to hold a joint three-board public meeting composed of the MVRHS school committee, the select board of the town of Oak Bluffs, and the Oak Bluffs planning board, with the goal to reach resolution of the current appeal,” Lionette said,
He said forthcoming details will be worked out by attorneys.
Despite the planning board having rejected the school’s proposal for a turf field, the committee also began to discuss fundraising for when plans for a field do receive approval.
Community members in the audience at Thursday’s meeting expressed an interest in knowing where the funding for the project was coming from.
“People would like to know who is driving the bus,” said Sheila Muldaur, in reference to individuals and organizations providing field funding.
Lionette deferred an answer to Muldaur’s question. He said that a presentation on fundraising is slated for the next MVRHS school committee meeting on June 22nd. Lionette said that he would be willing to discuss it more at the upcoming meeting.
In other school committee news, the committee voted in a new chair and vice chair for FY24. Kathryn Shertzer and Skip Manter will be the chair and vice-chair, respectively.
I will believe that the School Committee truly wants to come to a resolution over the choice of the High School athletic field only when I see it.
Despite formidable objections to installing an artificial field, the School Committee members have doggedly insisted, to the extreme of suing the town where the field is to be located, that they will have it their way.
What form can resolution take? Either the field will be grass or PFAS-containing turf. Is this a genuine acceptance of reality or another public relations gambit?
Some people think that artificial is the better choice.
Some people think the 2020 election was stolen.
Who is right?
Steve, the formidable objections you refer to come from a vocal group, I wouldn’t call it a majority because a group as large, if not larger, of people support the project, they’re just not as vocal. Those would include the coaches, athletes and parents of athletes who will actually use the field. The opposition, of whom the majority will never step foot on the field, are those people who don’t want the field. The PFAS argument has been proven, by the testing performed, to be a red herring. The school committee feels that the planning board ignored important facts, thus is appealing, not suing, the decision. A right any organization has when it feels they were wronged by a decision made by a public entity. Regarding the settlement offer, where is the town, they’ve had it for weeks and where is the outrage against the town as THEY drag this out now?
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