After a contentious bidding process, Chilmark has turned to tradition for whom it wants to run the town community center.
At the Chilmark Select Board meeting on Tuesday, the board awarded operation of the Chilmark Community Center to the Chilmark Town Affairs Council (CTAC) for the next three years, following a request for proposal (RFP) process that drew bids from CTAC and the newly formed Chilmark Community Center Trust (CCCTrust).
The board’s unanimous decision concluded the months-long proposal evaluation process for the up-Island center, which has been run by CTAC for the past approximately 70 years.
The process started after a moderator’s committee report recommended Chilmark start a bidding process to ensure improved and transparent operations amid past controversies, one of which included requests from a group of Chilmark residents called the Friends and Associates of Chilmark Tennis for more year-round programs from the center, and opposed the removal of a tennis pro who taught there.
Marie K. Larsen, the select board chair, said on Tuesday that the journey was a long one that started in town meeting in 2024, where Chilmark residents voted to have the moderator’s committee create the report for recommended improvements to the center’s management.
“Getting to this point has been a long journey made possible by the dedication and hard work of a lot of people in this town,” said Larsen at the meeting.
Board member Matthew Poole read a letter outlining the reason behind the board’s decision, and noted that an email sent by CCCTrust on Monday night alleged that CTAC’s proposal failed to meet minimum submittal requirements. Poole said the board referred the email to the town counsel for response, and the counsel highlighted the Uniform Procurement Act. The act allows evaluators to waive minor informalities, which are defined as “minor deviations, insignificant mistakes, or matters of form rather than substance.”
“At the start of business this morning, the select board members and town administrator were in receipt of an email sent Monday night from the Community Center Trust that suggested that CTAC did not meet the minimum submittal requirements,” Poole said in the meeting. “This letter was sent to the town after the submission deadline for all proposals of Jan. 5.”
Poole presented the combined scores from the three select board members’ evaluations for each RFP: CCCTrust received 31 percent “highly advantageous” and 69 percent “advantageous,” while CTAC earned 94 percent “highly advantageous” and 6 percent “advantageous.” Citing the stronger CTAC scores, Poole motioned to approve CTAC’s proposal on the condition that it amend its bylaws to require nominating committees to include Chilmark community members who are not board members, officers, or employees of the nonprofit. The motion was unanimously approved.
The select board used a ranking system that the state procurement law instructs municipalities to utilize when going through the evaluation process. It also includes two other categories that neither RFP fell under: “not advantageous” and “unacceptable.”
“The select board has been asked to make a very difficult choice between these strong and thoughtful proposals. My sincere hope is that as a town we can come together and support the outcome of this process and continue moving forward together,” said Larsen. “I hope we can respect this decision in the spirit of which it was made, with respect, goodwill, and a shared commitment to our town and our children. Our children deserve nothing less.”
The select board did not not take public comment on the matter at the meeting.
Susan Adrien, executive director of the Chilmark Community Center, expressed excitement for CTAC’s approval. “We are really excited. We have been planning, but now we are able to jump into high gear about getting things in place and adjusting registration based on the town’s priorities,” Adrien said in an interview with The Times. “We really are just excited to, over the next three years, build on the momentum we’ve had in place over the past few years. It’s been a rigorous process, and we are proud of what we put forward.”
Michelle O’Connor, chair of CTAC, recognized the select board’s extensive work in evaluating the RFPs. “I’d also like to acknowledge there’s a lot of people who put in a lot of work to make this RFP process happen,” said O’Connor. “The Chilmark Select Board put in hours for determining the RFPs, and they deserve a lot of credit for that.
“We are hopeful that their award to us establishes a stronger, deeper relationship between CTAC and the town, and we can work in partnership with the community,” she added.
Adrien said the process of evaluation gave CTAC time to think about its position and responsibility in the community. “This affirms what we felt all along: We are providing a program that’s high-quality and community-based,” she said. “It was a long process, and I think one thing that came out of that long process is it gave us an opportunity to evaluate all of our strengths and think creatively about where we are as part of the community. While it was a lot of work, we feel like CCC will benefit from all of that work.”
She added that the Chilmark Community Center is hosting a potluck on Feb. 3.
Nathaniel Scott, co-chair of CCCTrust, said they were disappointed but respected the select board’s decision. “I don’t think we necessarily agree with the results and the outcome. We felt we had a really strong proposal that would add a lot of new life to the community center,” he said in an interview with The Times. “It’s been kind of a painful period for the institution. We felt pretty good about the partnerships we were bringing.
“We respect the select board decision, and we will be working with them to get a bit of a debrief on where we fell short. A wonderful group of people came together for CCCTrust, and we are looking to see how we can best serve the community going forward,” added Scott. “We wish CTAC well. They have some good people over there as well. I hope they can do a good job bringing the community back together and healing some wounds.”
