West Tisbury residents will have a chance to vote their opinion regarding the high school athletic field this spring.
The West Tisbury Select Board unanimously approved two nonbinding ballot questions on the surface of the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) field during a Wednesday, Jan. 31, meeting. One asks if voters prefer a grass field, while the other asks if they prefer artificial/synthetic turf.
The select board is so far the first on the Island to decide to put the question on the ballot.
The decision follows a MVRHS School Committee vote last month to request towns put the nonbinding ballot question to voters in the upcoming town elections. The idea at the time had come from committee member and West Tisbury Select Board Chair Skipper Manter. Manter pointed out that voters had never been asked what their preference was regarding the field surface.
During Wednesday’s select board meeting, board member Jessica Miller said it would be interesting to see how many voters show up, particularly because the field was of interest to so many people.
When select board member Cynthia Mitchell asked whether the results would be “skewed” if an Island town decided against adding the ballot question, Manter replied that having “some knowledge would be better than no knowledge.”
“If this ends up on a ballot, we will get a record turnout,” Miller said.
The final ballot question language still needs to undergo clerical changes. “It’s just a matter of gathering information,” Manter said.
The West Tisbury Select Board voted to go forward with the ballot question.
