Community Corner

Chilmark Passes Budget and Pond Study

Last night's town meeting was finished in an hour with only some debate over MEP pond study

Chilmark residents moved quickly through the town’s 22-article warrant last night at the .

The meeting began with a tribute to retiring selectman Frank Fenner who was presented with a certificate of commendation from the state house of representatives by selectmen Warren Doty.

The 135 of the town's 878 registered voters then got to work, going through the year’s spending articles quickly. They passed the budget for fiscal year 2013 totaling $7,654,498 that is a 8.6 percent increase from this year. The budget includes $2.69 million for education, a 12.3-percent increase over the current year.

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Other items passed included the upgrade of fire department equipment, new pilings in Menemsha harbor and funds for employee post-retirement benefits.

The only topic of debate was whether to enroll the Menemsha and Chilmark pond systems in the Massachusetts Estuaries Project (MEP), a state study of the health of coastal salt ponds.

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According to the Martha’s Vineyard Times, “The question relating to the Menemsha Pond – which also includes Squibnocket, Stonewall and Nashaquitsa Ponds – initially asked for $31,767 to enroll the system in the MEP, but was reduced on the floor to $14,792 through private donations.”

The Times reported that some residents expressed concern about the MEP’s ability to complete their studies both on the Island and around the state of Massachusetts. They sited the example of the MEP's work in Tisbury Great Pond that started five years ago, but the town has yet to receive the final report.

However, other residents spoke in favor of the study saying that the data on nitrogen loading that the study would provide, would be essential to preserving and protecting the ponds in the future. In the end, both the study of Menemsha and Chilmark ponds passed. Both articles are contingent on the approval of corresponding ballot questions for a Proposition 2 1/2 override at the annual election on Wednesday.

 


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