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.
• 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 Department’s 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.
Town Owned Property http://mvinet.com/tisburymunicipalneedsassessment_files/image002.jpg
http://mvinet.com/tisburymunicipalneedsassessment_files/image004.jpg
• 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:
Vehicle circulation in and around the Tisbury Elementary School is both confusing and dangerous.
Today pick-up and drop-offs occur along Spring Street directly across from the proposed Fire and Ambulance site. 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 and employee parking is also inadequate; the school estimates that about 90 parking spaces overall are needed to handle all the demand.
There is no adequate outdoor assembly area where children can queue-up to wait for parents and busses. Recreation spaces available for the younger children is badly designed and wastes a lot of land.
The sketches below represent several alternatives that we may consider to address safety, playground and parking issues at the school. Final plans are to be worked out after consultations with traffic planners and school officials.
West side of the Tisbury School showing the Playground (the Annex is at the upper left of the picture. http://mvinet.com/tisburymunicipalneedsassessment_files/image006.jpg
Sketch of reorganized access, playground and parking at the school – Parking on Spring Street side, playground on William St. side. http://mvinet.com/tisburymunicipalneedsassessment_files/image008.jpg
Alt 1 – Parking on William St side. Playground on Spring St. side, sidewalks pulled back from the street http://mvinet.com/tisburymunicipalneedsassessment_files/image010.jpg
This alternative adds a 31-car parking lot on the west side of the school property with access off West William St. so there is no conflicting circulation along Spring St. The Bus loading area remains at its present location. Along West William, a drop-off lane is incorporated within the circumference of the access drive. An assembly plaza is shown which links the bus, parking and drop-offs to the school’s main entry points. The playground is located along the Spring Street side. Fencing is used to enclose the play area much as it is today. In addition, the sidewalks fronting Spring St have been dawn back away from the edge of the road (next to the Maple trees) to further separate pedestrians from the traffic.
Alt 2 – Parking lots combined on the west side of the building, playgrounds combined on the east side.
In the second option, the play areas have all been relocated to the east side of the school and combined into one larger and more flexible space. In the process it places all the play areas away from the proposed Emergency Services Facility. It also creates a more continuous sidewalk along Spring Street from Pine St. to the school.
Going forward, the school is planning to do a complete study of its own long-term space and operational needs and we want continue to work with them on those issues. Changes on that scale however, would be several years away and we will still need to address the current parking and safety problems.
• 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
• 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 area
Temporary Annex Offices and Records Storage Facilities
Town Hall Annex
Site Plan for an Emergency Services Building
The above sketch is based on standards set by Brown Lindquist Fenuccio & Raber Architects, Inc. in a report done for the Town of Tisbury March 3, 2005
The site consists of 1.1 acres of land with a 220’ frontage on Spring St. and 210’ depth. It has a one-story building 150’ long with five 20 x 65’ drive thru bays and approximately 11,000 sq ft of floor area.
On-site parking is provided for 20 cars although this could be expanded. An expanded lot would probably not be necessary however since additional public parking is proposed directly across the street at the school (we would expect most meetings to take place on evenings and weekends; in fact one benefit to this location is being able to make more efficient use of the Town resources).
Further study is required to determine if the site would truly meet al of the current and future needs of the Fire and Ambulance services and to see of there are any serious topographical, engineering or other limitations with the property that would foreclose its use for this purpose.
It would help to retain the services of a professional engineering consultant as soon as possible soon so we can have a definitive opinion y the end of this summer.
• 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
Existing Fire Department Site – Beach St. 
Proposed parking lot at the former Fire Department property
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 $2.493 million dollars and would likely have a market value approximately $3 million.
• A better location for the Police would be near the school which is the designated shelter in an emergency.
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.
Spring St. Storage Garage
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.
Lean-to at the DPW complex – relocated from Spring Street
• 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 7,500 sq ft of building or more in 2-1/2 stories and an 19-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 or sell the current building for retail commercial uses.
This is a valuable commercial location in the heart of Downtown between the ferry and Main Street. Renovations of the Water Street parking lot include better pedestrian access along the north side of the lot passing directly in front of the building. If police and ambulance services relocate, an additional 14 parking spaces become available to the general public.
A sale of this structure would be for the building only. The Town would continue to own the land. The building is assessed at $2.493 million dollars (this is independent of land value which is assessed at $2.24 million). Market value is probably closer to $3 Million.
If we wished to maintain ownership of the building, we could create approximately $6,000 sq ft of leased space which would generate about $120,000 per year income to the Town.
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
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.
Existing Site
• 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 as well as two new basketball courts.
• 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
(New Emergency Services Building shown in front)
• 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.
Church Street Lot – 48 spaces, pedestrian path thru cemetery to Town Hall & Cornell Theater
Parking Policy Options
Since we know that parking spaces in downtown Vineyard haven are leased to private users for up to $800 per space, we should consider how we allocate this valuable resource. There are several options for the use of downtown parking facilities that we may want to consider:
Having the Town’s administrative functions divided into two separate buildings located several blocks away from each other is awkward, efficient and inconvenient both for municipal workers and for the public.
The survey of municipal needs, both current and projected, suggest that we should have a site that can accommodate approximately 7,500 sq. ft. of office and storage space and an additional 1,600 sq ft of space if a large assembly room is required (we may continue to use the Cornell Theater for those meetings as an alternative).
Moreover, we should have parking for approximately 30 or 40 cars to accommodate workers and visitors.
As a practical matter, our greatest need is for office and meeting space for the Town’s 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 needn’t have to include a large auditorium but can be primarily a municipal building with offices and meeting rooms.
This is the only piece of private property that we have included in this study. It is not currently being offered for sale but is likely to become available in the near future. The property consists of 2.36 acres of land and is valued at $2.141 Million dollars. Market value is probably closer to $3.5 Million. The site includes a large field, 60-car parking area, and a building with approximately 12,000 sq ft of floor area, 6,000 on the main floor and an equal amount of finished basement. A new town Hall would require between eight and ten thousand square feet of space depending on whether or not we include a main assembly hall. Significant modifications to the building, or possibly a new structure, would be required but we could nevertheless take advantage of the existing site work, parking and infrastructure.
The initial question is whether or not the property would become available in the near future and what the asking price for it would be. If possible, we should purchase the property as soon as it becomes available even if we have to wait to proceed with construction.
Catholic Church property at Franklin and Clough.
Option 2 Build a new Town Hall (municipal building) at the Church Street Tennis Courts
This property is large enough to accommodate the building and is close to the Cornell Theater which can continue to be used for large gatherings. It might be difficult to include all the town’s departments in the new structure but a few could remain at the current town hall while the new structure provided more office space meeting rooms and storage.
We could build a 7,000 sq ft structure on the Church St. property and still include a small 30-car parking lot to accommodate Town Hall needs. The building (an expanded annex) would include the departments currently located at the present Annex plus one or two departments that are currently at Town Hall (e.g. Assessor and Treasurer) along with expanded storage, meeting and office space. The Town Administrator, Selectmen and Town Clerk would remain at their present location. Cornell Theater would continue to be used large gatherings.
Option 3 Use the Police Department Building
It is possible to fit the administrative services in the space vacated by the police and ambulance services and keep the Cornell Theater for meetings but that is an awkward compromise that doesn’t seem to satisfy any long-term objective. Parking is limited, the building is badly sited, and major renovations would have to be made to convert it to Town uses.
Police Department building at the Water St. lot.
Option 4 Build a new Town Hall on the Fire Department property
The current site of the Fire Department on Beach Street is large enough to accommodate the building. This would be a prominent site in the heart of Town.
Parking is an issue that could be addressed if a service drive to the rear of the property could be constructed. However, the property is also said to have serious subsurface and foundation problems. All of which makes using this property a difficult alternative.
New Town Hall at former Fire Department site on Beach Street
Cornell Theater
Designate the future use of Town Hall as a theater and cultural center.
Work with the Martha’s 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.
This is a beautiful building and our most prominent historical structure. Having it available as a cultural center would be a great asset to the town.
It’s main auditorium, the Cornell Theater seats 100 – 150 people. If we were able to find new quarters for our Town hall, those spaces would become available as support spaces for the theater (green room, sets, storage etc.) We may nevertheless want to reserve space at the theater on a regular basis for selectmen’s meetings or other public gatherings.
Town Hall (Cornell Theater)
Comparison of existing municipal facility locations with proposed
Existing Pattern of Municipal Facilities - administrative functions in blue, emergency facilities in red, storage and repairs in yellow
Proposed New Pattern - facilities are clustered by type, new recreation, parking and cultural center are added.
Proposed rerouting of Ferry to Park and Ride shuttle
Proposed Shuttle Bus route and associated parking lots http://mvinet.com/tisburymunicipalneedsassessment_files/image056.jpg
The structure is not suitable for town hall functions. It is too small, crowded, lacking meeting rooms, storage and work area. It is hard to maintain. The building would work much better as a theater and cultural center.
The building is overcrowded and separated by several blocks 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)
The site is problematic because, a) it is located in a congested area of downtown, b) the building is too small for the Fire Department’s existing equipment (e.g. the ladder truck is currently stored at the DPW garage) and c) the structure is in very poor condition and probably beyond repair.
The site could be used to create a 24 to 30-car parking lot to augment parking for downtown and the park. This would be useful at least until a longer term function is agreed on. In the future it could be leased or sold for private development. The property is currently valued at $1,285,200 dollars ($472,300 for the building and $810,000 for the land). The assessed value of the building seems high since it is reported to be in very bad condition including foundation and structural problems.
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.
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.
This is the location where we should try to locate as much of the Town’s 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.
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 approximately ½ an acre which is too small to accommodate an emergency services building.
A ½ acre of land is available here that may be used as a temporary space for the Annex departments while permanent facilities are being built.
The structure can then be used as a permanent site for Water Department facilities or other Town needs.
Landfill area is capped and cannot be used for building construction. However open land may be used for other purposes, these include: Ball fields and other recreation facilities
Wind turbine, vehicle storage.
The building is well-suited for its present purpose. The facility also provides much needed meeting space for mid-sized gatherings.
The basement area is currently being used for record storage and is otherwise lightly used. The Council on Ageing would like to see it converted rooms for needed activities such as a computer lab, educational programs or other activities.
The Water Department needs to construct a garage to house their equipment which may be disruptive to the ambience of the park . If the department were to relocate to a site next to the DPW, the current building could be converted to facilities that support the park functions being introduced with the restoration of the Spring Building
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.
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.
Cost Projections for Major Projects
March 13, 2008
|
|
Project
|
Cost |
Income / Value |
Completed |
|
1 |
Emergency Services Bldg. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
$600,000 |
|
2010 |
|
|
|
$5,000,000 |
|
2012 |
|
|
|
$150,000 |
|
2012 |
|
|
|
$100,000 |
Lease $24,000 / yr |
2012 |
|
|
|
$100,000 |
|
2012 |
|
|
Sub-Total |
$5,950,000 |
|
2012 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2 |
Police Department |
|
|
|
|
|
|
$40,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
$3,000,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
$3,000,000 |
|
|
|
Sub-Total |
$3,040,000 |
$3,000,000 |
2014 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3. |
Town Hall |
|
|
|
|
|
|
$3,500,000 |
|
2010 |
|
|
|
$4,000,000 |
|
2016-18 |
|
|
Sub-Total |
$7,500,000 |
|
2016 – 18 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4 |
Tennis Courts / Parking Lot |
|
|
|
|
|
|
$200,000 |
|
- |
|
|
|
$100,000 |
Lease $32,400 / yr |
- |
|
|
Sub-Total |
$300,000 |
|
- |
|
5 |
Water Department Relocation |
|
|
|
|
|
|
$100,000 |
|
|
|
|
Sub-Total |
$100,000 |
|
- |
|
|
|
|
|
- |
|
|
Total 10-year Program |
$16,890,000 |
Lease $56,000 / yr Sale $3,000,000 |
2018 |
NOTE: Private parking spaces in downtown Vineyard Haven are leased for about $800/year. The New Church Street and Beach Street lots create an increase of 78 new spaces in downtown VH representing a yearly income value of $62,400.
Financing
Major Projects – $16,440,000
1. Emergency Services Building - $$5,950,000
The Town currently carries $8,627,445 of debt.
We will be reducing reduce that amount by $6M by the year 2012 ($2M in 2010, 2011 and 2012) with a further reduction of $2M by 2014 ($1M 2013 and $1M in 2014). Consequently, we can finance the Emergency Services Building and its associated costs by rolling over our current debt and not have to increase our existing tax rate.
2. Police Department - $2,500,000 - $3,000,000
The projected cost of a new Police Department building located at the Spring St. site appears to be about the same as the value we would receive from the sale of the existing building (currently assessed at $2.49M). If can coordinate the sale of that building with the construction of the new one we would not incur any significant extra expenses for the town. A lease of 6,000 to 7,000 sq ft. of space in the building would also allow for an equivalent amount of financing.
3. Town Hall - $7,500,000
This project would require new financing of about $5.5M ($2M from the reduction of our current debt by 2014 and $5.5M of new financing). This would represent an average tax increase of $200 / yr.
Supplemental Projects - $400,000
4. Tennis Courts, Basketball Courts and new Parking Lots - $300,000
5. Water Department Relocation - $100,000
These two projects would not have a significant impact on the tax rate.
· Make protection and restoration of our natural environment our number one priority.
· Avoid sprawl and destruction of open spaces.
· Restore access to the town’s harbor, beaches, woods and natural areas.
· Work to expand our inventory of protected lands and to make these lands a public resource open to all.
· Maintain Tisbury’s New England town character by preserving and encouraging its small scale, tree-lined streets, historic structures and neighborhoods.
· Locate, design and maintain our public buildings in a way that will reflect the traditional quality and character of the town while accommodating new functions, procedures and technologies.
o Protect the functional and symbolic heart of the town by retaining non-emergency municipal functions in downtown Vineyard Haven.
o Relocate fire and other emergency services to a site or sites out of the congested downtown area
· Make access to and use of the waterfront an important part of the overall circulation system.
· Promote alternate means of transportation - pedestrian, bus, bike, and water transit with a special emphasis on pedestrian movements.
· Improve the road system by creating supplementary small-scale access ways to relieve the pressure on main roads. Avoid street widening.
· Promote the connectivity of streets. Avoid dead-ends and restricted access neighborhoods.
· Encourage a greater variety of housing types (not just single-family detached units) in all parts of the town, especially smaller houses and rental units.
· Allow greater densities and more mixed uses in the business districts particularly for affordable housing opportunities.
· Discourage building in undeveloped areas.
· Be careful about increasing densities in settled neighborhoods.
o Promote energy conservation and renewable energy technologies both for the benefit of the environment and for their economic benefit to the town.
o See that municipal buildings, vehicles and operations adopt the most up-to-date energy conservation standards and technologies.
o Use life-cycle cost calculations, not just initial cost, to estimate long-term building expenses.
o Explore changes to our building and zoning by-laws that will encourage more efficient use of our energy resources.
o Look for incentives to encourage more energy efficiency in our buildings and transportation systems.
· Work toward a sustainable, year-round employment pattern.
· Bolster the seasonal economy.
· Look at the economic impact of new populations and new technologies on the island both as an opportunity for new kinds of businesses and as a revision of existing practices.
· Encourage the development of aquaculture and agriculture as part of a long-term sustainable economy. Consider their additional contributions as attractions to visitors and as preservers of the overall quality and character of the island.
· Recognize that the visual quality of the town is an important component of its economic health.
Using the above guidelines, develop a series of detailed plans focused on specific areas of interest. These include:
· Upper State Road and the Landfill area
· Downtown and the Waterfront – Public access, circulation, land use, zoning
· Historic preservation
o Restoration of the Waterworks Building at Tashmoo
o Renovation of the Cornell Theater
o Expansion of historic districts and/or designation of historic buildings
· Tree planting and landscape preservation strategies.
o Incorporate planting and landscaping provisions in the zoning by-laws.
· Expansion of our inventory of open spaces and preservation lands.
· Neighborhood street systems
o Standards for construction of town streets and byways.
o Connectivity of street grids, access to public spaces.