Community Corner
Tisbury Connector Returns to Voters
Tuesday night, Tisbury voters again eye borrowing $1.3 million for a cutoff route between the Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road and State Road via Holmes Hole Road, sparing westbound drivers from the heavily-trafficked State Road intersection.
Tisbury voters are taking another spin around the town's equivalent to the Oak Bluffs rotary: The proposed connector road, which failed to gain enough votes at April's annual town meeting, dominates Tuesday's special town meeting warrant.
The much-discussed connector would provide a cutoff route between the Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road and State Road via Holmes Hole Road, sparing westbound drivers the need to travel all the way to the heavily-trafficked State Road intersection.
"I go to Edgartown more times in a day than you're probably going to the bathroom," trucker Clarence Barnes told voters at the April town meeting, expressing his support of the plan.
Voter Jim Pringle argued against the connector, saying the $1.3 million in borrowing would be just the beginning of "funding Fred's freeway" (a jab at departing Tisbury Department of Public Works director Fred Lapiana).
Because it requires the town to acquire debt, the $1.3 million borrowing proposal requires the approval of two-thirds of Tisbury voters.
Had a simple majority been required, the connector would have squeaked by in April with a 69-66 vote count.
Along with borrowing the $1.3 million for construction, the town meeting warrant asks voters to approve spending state Chapter 90 funds on connector work and taking Evelyn Way, Olga Road and Lyle Lane by eminent domain.
Other warrant articles include a $305,000 expenditure to replace the Tisbury School Roof and a request for additional funds for the town's wastewater collection system.
Read the Tisbury Special Town Meeting Warrant for Dec. 10, 2013.
Do you support or oppose the Tisbury connector? Tell us in the comments.