Municipal Needs Assessment
February 20, 2008
The major municipal facilities in Tisbury are currently located in
makeshift, overcrowded and inefficient quarters that were not designed for
these purposes. The Town Hall, The Town Hall Annex, Fire Department and
Police Department buildings all have serious drawbacks stemming from their
location and/or the limitations of the buildings.
Past attempts to address one or another of these needs on a case-by-case
basis have not been successful. Any decision to expand, move or rebuild one
or another of these facilities has consequences that seriously impact the
others. If a facility is to be relocated, should we sell the old property to
raise revenue to pay for the new one? Might the town need the land for some
other purpose? If we sell the property will we ever find anything equivalent
in the future? What options are available to us for each of these issues?
Are there other problems that are being ignored? With so many needs
confronting us, which should have priority?
In an effort to come to grips with these issues, the Planning Board and The
Selectmen have undertaken a broad study of all of our municipal needs to see
if a coordinated look at all our major municipal services will be more
effective than dealing with them one at a time.
Study Methodology
Over the summer and fall, the
board conducted a survey of all town departments about available space,
current needs and future projections,
At the same time, we have developed a Town Lands database
showing all town properties, their acreage, number and size of buildings and
assessed values. Beyond its immediate use. We hope to develop this database
further so that, in future years, is can be a tool for monitoring these
proposals, maintaining a full fledged Capital Budget and setting development
priorities for the town.
GIS mapping of available town lands and potential private
sites. These sites have been studied to determine their suitability and
availability for various town uses.
Review of past plans and reports for municipal services
needs.
Consultations with Selectmen and other town commissions and
committees about town needs, options and priorities.
Findings Building and Location Issues
All of our major public buildings - Fire Department,
Police & Ambulance, Town Hall and the Annex are in a poor location and/or in
poor condition. Often, the existing structure simply is not large enough to
accommodate their needs today, let alone in the future.
New Sites are hard to come by. Major Town functions should
be in central locations with easy access to and from all parts of town.
These are the areas that are already built-up and expensive.
The availability of parking Downtown is a serious municipal
need of its own that is affected (and possibly improved) by the decisions we
make about our municipal buildings.
We often find that the Town does have property that meets a
Departments specific location and space requirements but it is being used
for some other, less appropriate purpose.
In order to arrive at an appropriate long-term
pattern of use for these facilities, we will need to move some things
around.
Findings Department Needs
Most departments at Town Hall and the Annex generally
need about double the space currently available.
More meeting and conference spaces for both public and
private meetings are needed.
More working storage and long-term storage areas for
paperwork and records are needed
None of the departments surveyed expect a major increase in
personnel in the future (One or two new employees at the most).
Major public meeting needs such as Town Meeting may be
accommodated in existing facilities Cornell Theater, the Tisbury
Elementary School and the Senior Center.
Departments dont necessarily need to be located in the
same building with all the other town agencies but related functions should
be grouped together.
For the convenience of the public, it helps to have all the
administrative departments (the ones now split between Town Hall and the
Annex) in one place.
The Police have unique security needs. They can, and to
some extent prefer, to be separate from other emergency services.
The Ambulance Service operations are more related to Fire
Department operations and should be separated from the Police and grouped
with the Fire Department.
All the departments need a much more reliable, immediate
and comprehensive communication system that would provide easy access to
records and information (an intranet). Access to information is more
important than physical proximity.
Town
Owned Property
1ST Priority - Ambulance and Fire Department
These two departments have the
most critical needs.
Buildings are poorly located and in bad condition.
New equipment cannot be accommodated in the existing
structures.
The two services, now separated, have overlapping
responsibilities and should be combined at one location in an Emergency
Services Facility.
The facility needs to have about an acre of land, be in a
prominent location, on a major street, with easy access to all parts of
town.
The one parcel of Town-owned land that meets these
requirements is the current site of the Town Hall Annex.
However, to be relocated at that site there are three issues have to be
addressed:
1. A new location for the Annex has to be found.
2. We would need to move quickly. The Ambulance service, like
the Fire Department, needs to find quarters that can handle new vehicles
that, literally, will not fit into the existing building.
3. Since this site is directly across from the school,
concerns about school safety, access and parking have to be resolved.
Step 1 Resolve Safety, Playground and Parking Issues at
the School
Safety
Today pick-up and drop-offs occur
along Spring Street directly across from the proposed Fire and Ambulance
site. There is a concern that in an emergency there will be a dangerous
conflict between vehicles coming to the school and the emergency vehicles
Playground
The existing playground is badly
designed and wastes a lot of land.
Parking
There is very little space for
arriving parents to park and pick-up children. Parents often park at the
Annex or along the street.
Existing
Elementary School Playground
Sketch of reorganized access, playground and parking at
the school
Vehicle circulation in and around the Tisbury Elementary School is both
confusing and dangerous. Lacking adequate on-site parking, parents who drive
their children to school often conflict with school busses, use the spaces
across the street at the Annex or double-park. Teacher parking is also
inadequate. There is no adequate outdoor assembly area where children can
queue-up to wait for parents and busses. Finally, the recreation spaces
available for the younger children are so unattractive as to be practically
useless.
With or without the added concern of an Emergency Services facility being
located nearby, we need to find a better arrangement for school access,
recreation and parking.
The above sketch suggests an arrangement whereby we insert a sidewalk
directly from the crosswalk at Spring St, West Spring and Pine Tree to the
school entries on the west side of the building and create an assembly plaza
on that side. To the north we can construct a +30-car parking lot separated
from both the Spring St. traffic and the bus loading area. To the south we
can create safe and attractive play area with as much or more workable play
area than the children now have.
The sidewalk also provides a through corridor for pedestrians so that it is
not necessary to follow along the edge of Spring St. if you dont want to.
Step 2 Relocate the Annex Departments (Building Inspector, Health
Department, Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals)
Build a small office building at the DPW to house the
annex departments.
Include both office space and additional spaces for:
Archival storage of municipal
records
Impounded bicycles
When Annex functions are consolidated with the rest of Town
hall functions in a permanent location, the building can be taken over as a
HQ for the Water Department.
DPW
Temporary Annex Offices and Records Storage Facilities
Step 3 Construct a New Emergency Services
Facility at the Annex
Town Hall Annex
Site Plan for an Emergency Services Building
Step 4 Build a parking lot at the former Fire Department site.
This is a holding action until a permanent use is
agreed on.
It is possible, however, that we will want to keep this lot
permanently. There is a need for more parking Downtown and this site will
serve both businesses and park users.
A parking facility here would also open up a view of the
park from Beach St. create better access to the park from Beach St. and
Cromwell La. and improve the sidewalks, landscaping and overall look of
Beach St.
There are several long-term possibilities for this property
that we should look into but there are no specific recommendations to be
made at this point.
The property is currently valued at $1,118,200 dollars
Proposed parking lot at the former Fire Department
property
Parking Policy
There are several options for the use of this lot
we may want to consider:
1. Open for general public use
2. Metered or gate-controlled parking
3. Designated downtown employee parking
4. Leased space
Police Department
Current location of the Police Department and
Ambulance Service.
Today, the Police Department occupies a building at the
rear of the Water Street lot which they share with the Ambulance Service.
This site, in the most congested part of Downtown, is very
problematic especially for the Ambulance Service.
The building is quite large but laid out in an inefficient
and wasteful manner (A good portion of the first floor is devoted to garage
and storage space).
A police desk or small office should remain downtown but it
is not necessary to locate the entire department there.
Ten or more parking spaces are reserved at the lot that
could be available to the public.
The building has considerable commercial value that the
town could take advantage of (it is assessed at $2,111,000).
A better location for the Police would be near the school
which is the designated shelter in an emergency.
Step 1 Relocate the Spring Street Storage Garage to
the DPW site.
a. Relocate Shellfish Hatchery equipment
Construct a lean-to shed at the DPW property store
Shellfish Hatchery equipment. [Estimated cost +/- $20,000]
This will free up the Spring St. storage site for a more appropriate use.
This move will also be helpful for the Hatchery since their equipment can be
better kept and monitored at the DPW site.
b. Clean up Spring St. Storage site to a level
where it can be used for new construction.
This property consists of ½ acre of land directly opposite
the school. It is currently being used to store equipment belonging to the
Shellfish Hatchery. It also includes an abandoned garage that was formerly
used by the ambulance service and is now used to store impounded bicycles.
All these functions would be better served if they were located at the DPW
where they can be combined nicely with other storage and maintenance
functions.
Step 2 Construct a smaller and more Efficient Police Department
Building at the former garage site.
This is a very good location for the Police; like other
emergency services the site has easy access to all parts of town. It is also
easy to reach.
It offers enhanced security at the school (The school is
the locus for shelter in storms or other crises so there is a great
advantage in having police and other emergency services nearby).
The Civil Defense Officer can also be included in this
space.
The site can accommodate 5,000 sq ft of building or more of
building and an 18-car parking area.
The relocation also frees-up space for 14 vehicles at the
Water St. lot that are currently reserved for the police.
Sketch of new Police Department facilities at the former DPW
garage site.
Step 3 Lease the current building for retail commercial uses.
The building is in a valuable commercial location in the
heart of Downtown
It is assessed at $2.11 million dollars
There is a potential to create approximately $6,000 sq ft
of rental space which would generate about $120,000 per year income to the
Town.
If the Police and Ambulance Services leave we would gain an
additional 14 parking spaces at the Water St. lot.
Sketch of First Floor of the Police Department Building
converted to retail uses with fourteen additional parking spaces made
available to the public at the Water St. Lot. The Second and Third floors
could be used as a restaurant or as office space
Parking / Recreation
Church Street Tennis Courts - 12 spaces existing - 48 spaces proposed
Church
Street Parking Lot and Tennis Courts
The two tennis courts, located between
Church and Center streets just west of Main Street, have often been cited as
a site for a municipal parking lot (There is a small twelve-car lot on the
site today).
The lot would serve both downtown needs and also provide
off-street parking for Cornell Theater, the Playhouse and Churches in the
neighborhood.
Past proposals however have recommended a lot holding
eighty or more cars. To accommodate that many cars, the site would have to
be completely paved over, destroying the ambience of a historic
neighborhood.
Moreover, an adequate alternative site for the courts had
not been offered.
Step 1 Relocate the Tennis Courts
A large field, to the rear of the
Annex and just a few blocks away from the current courts can be developed to
accommodate the relocated tennis courts and a couple of new basketball
courts as well.
The courts would be easily reached by the William Street
neighborhood as well as other nearby neighborhoods.
They would also serve as recreation facilities for the
school
Sketch of new tennis and basketball courts
in back of the Annex
Step 2 Build a medium-sized parking lot and vest-pocket park at the
former tennis court site.
A parking lot of approximately 42 to 48 cars would fit
comfortably into the space vacated by the tennis courts.
At that scale, we can preserve and augment the surrounding
topography and vegetation, include seating areas and provide pedestrian
pathways between Church and Center Streets, through the cemetery to Cornell
Theater and Spring St.
Parking Policy
There are several options for the use of this lot
we may want to consider:
5. Open for general public use
6. Reserved for Vineyard Haven residents only. This option
would allow Vineyard Haven residents to access to a downtown lot without
circulating through Main Street.
7. Designated downtown employee parking
8. Metered or gate controlled parking
9. Long-term leased space
Town Hall and Annex Facilities
a. Develop location, parking and space requirements for a new Town Hall.
As a practical matter, our greatest need is for
office and meeting space for the Towns administrative functions. With
Cornell Theater, the School, and, to some extent, the Senior Center
available we already have space for medium and large-scale gatherings.
Consequently, our new town hall neednt have to include a large auditorium
but can be primarily a municipal building with offices and meeting rooms.
Options include:
a. Purchase of private land such as the Catholic Church
property at Franklin and Clough.
b. Renovate Police Department building at the
Water St. lot.
c. Construct a new Town Hall at the Church
Street Lots.
d. Construct a New Town Hall at the Former
Fire Department Site
b. Work with the Marthas Vineyard Preservation Trust to
develop a coordinated plan for the transfer ownership of the Town Hall
building (Cornell Theater) as soon as a new location for Town Hall is found.
The
original intention for renovating this building was to use it as a theater.
The downstairs spaces now used for town hall were meant to be supporting
spaces for the theater.
No matter what the projected use for
the building, the site would benefit from a parking facility at the current
tennis courts on Church St. The building is in a residential area and street
parking is limited.
A pathway can lead
directly from there through the cemetery to the building
.
Town Hall (Cornell Theater)
Alternatives Involving the purchase or rental of private
property
Purchase the Catholic Church Property as a site for Town Hall and possibly
Police Department
If available, purchase the Catholic Church
property at Franklin and Clough. Combine Town hall and Annex at that site.
This would be an excellent location for these functions, a large site on a
prominent street adjacent to downtown Vineyard haven. It is not, however, a
good site for the Fire Department since the property is narrow and access
from there is awkward and limited by narrow streets.
The question is whether or not the property would become available in the
near future and what the asking price for it would be. The assessed value of
the property is currently $2.141M and the market value is probably in excess
of $3M.
Office / Storage Rental
If space is cannot be made available in a public
facility we may choose to lease private space for a short time while
permanent facilities are constructed.
Suitability of available town lands for municipal or other
uses.
Town Hall (Cornell Theater)
The structure is not suitable for town hall
functions. It is too small, crowded, lacking meeting rooms, storage and work
area. Spaces are organized for an incompatible purpose (theater support). It
is hard to maintain. It is a historical structure that was restored in order
to function as a theater. Town Hall uses rooms that were supposed to support
that function. The building should be returned to its intended use.
Town Hall Annex
The building is overcrowded and separated from the administrative
functions at Town Hall.
This is a large property (3.4 acres) that is not being put to its best use.
There are several potential uses for the site.
Our recommendation is to locate the Fire and Ambulance services at the front
of the site and to use the rear of the site for recreational facilities
(tennis and basketball)
Fire Dept. Building at Beach Street
The site is problematic partly because it is located in a congested area
of downtown. The building is too small for the Fire Departments existing
equipment (e.g. the ladder truck is currently stored at the DPW garage). The
structure is in very poor condition and probably beyond repair.
The site could be used to create a 30-car parking lot to augment parking for
downtown and the park perhaps as a temporary use until a longer term
function is agreed on. In the future it may be used as a new site for Town
Hall or it could be leased or sold for private development. The property is
currently valued at $1,118,200 dollars.
Police and Ambulance Building
There are two services that share this building but neither is
particularly well served. The building is at the rear of the Water Street
Lot, probably the most difficult and congested location in the town.
Ambulances barely fit into their garage bay. In the future new trucks will
not fit at all.
For the police, the building is poorly laid out with much space wasted.
Both services reserve valuable parking spaces that might otherwise be
available for the public.
Spring St. Storage Garage
This is a very inefficient use of a valuable site. We have 20,000 sq.
ft. (approx ½ acre) of land on Spring Street directly across form the
school.
The storage facilities should be relocated to the DPW complex.
The site would make an excellent location for the Police Department. The ½
acre site is adequate for their needs.
Being adjacent to the school enhances their security.
DPW Building complex
This is the location where we should try to locate as much of the Towns
storage and mechanical equipment as possible. Maintenance and repairs are
done here.
Equipment from the Spring Street storage garage should be relocated to this
area.
DPW Reserve area for new Leaching Field.
In the past, this territory (approximately 1 acre of land) was
considered as a possible site for an Emergency Services facility. However,
we may have to expand our sewer capacity and this site is the only land in
the area that can function as its leaching field. This reduces the useable
vacant land to a degree that a Fire Department building wont fit on it.
DPW - Water Tower area - Compost yard
A ½ acre of land is available here that may be used as a temporary space
for the Ambulance service and Annex departments while permanent facilities
are being built.
The structure can then be used as a permanent site for Water Department
facilities.
DPW - Landfill
Landfill area is capped and cannot be used for building construction.
However open land may be used for other purposes:
Ball fields and other recreation facilities
Wind turbine
Council on Ageing Building
The building is well-suited for its present purpose. The facility also
provides much needed meeting space for mid-sized gatherings.
The parking area is lightly used and a portion of it may be considered for
additional meeting room and ancillary spaces.
South-west quadrant of the Cemetery
Small building ???
Water Department
The Facilities are not large enough for Water
Department.
The building could be converted to facilities that support the park
functions being introduced with the restoration of the Spring Building
Water Department operations should be relocated to the DPW complex.
The Spring Building at the Waterworks
The building is being renovated to incorporate a
small museum and otherwise serve as a center for park users.
Special events such as weddings are expected to generate revenue for
maintenance and operations.
If the Water Department were not using their building at this site, it could
be used as an adjunct to the park for activities, meetings and educational
spaces.
Water Department North-East quadrant of West Spring St.
This site lies outside of the water protection zone and may be
developable for housing.
Church Street Parking Lot and Tennis Courts
There are two tennis courts and a 12-car parking lot at this site.
However, the shortage of parking to serve the Cornell Theater, the
Playhouse, churches and the Downtown area creates a priority need.
The courts can be relocated to the nearby field behind the Town Hall Annex.
The property can then be converted to a medium-sized parking lot of about
40-48 cars. Care has to be taken to retain the trees and vegetation in and
around the courts and maintain a park-like ambiance for the site.
Reports:
1. Municipal Departments Space Needs
a. Existing space
b. Current need
c. Projected need five years
2. Municipal Buildings
a. Current Space available
b. Building Condition
c. Assessed Value
d. Replacement Cost
e. Maintenance and Operating cost
3. Town Land Report
a. List of all town land
i. Location
ii. Size
iii. Assessed value
4. Potential Sites
a. All Lands currently used by Town depts.
b. Priority Needs:
i. Fire,
ii. Ambulance,
iii. Police,
iv. Town Hall
v. Annex
vi. Downtown Parking
c. Value of town properties
i. Assessed value
ii. Replacement cost
iii. Sale or lease potential
d. Private Sites
i. Catholic Church Property Clough
& Franklin
ii. DeBettencourt Property - State
Road & Surveyors Way
iii. School Superintendents Office
Spring & Pine
5. Maps
a. Map of the Town showing all Town-owned land classified by
functions
b. Map of Town Land showing those properties affected by this
report.
6. Illustrations
|