Divided Board Kills Plan to Build Performance Stage at the Cliffs

with permission, MV Gazette

By SAM BUNGEY

Following a last-minute public campaign of staunch opposition, Aquinnah selectmen at a special meeting Monday shelved a proposal to build an outdoor performing arts stage at the Circle, leaving its architects frustrated and the board polarized on the issue.

The proposal is from Ted Cammann, a longtime music producer, and Jim Glavin of Deca Construction, who conceived the plan after organizing last August’s Aquinnah Music festival held at the Circle. The two men are now partners in Circle Productions LLC.

“We put on that festival because we wanted to do a fund-raiser for [local radio station] WVVY and there were no venues. There was nowhere to play,” said Mr. Glavin.

The project has been in the works since early spring, but a torrent of letters and e-mails against the project began pouring into town hall about two weeks ago. At a public hearing on the proposal last Thursday which ran for more than two hours, a group of detractors argued vociferously that the stage would be a blight on the natural beauty of the landscape at the Cliffs.

“There was an organized campaign to stack the deck against us,” Mr. Glavin said this week, “They won over one of the selectmen; it was a classic display of bad faith.”

Discussion at the Monday meeting of the selectmen, called to approve a May 19 special town meeting warrant, centered on a close reading of a March special town meeting article that was approved by voters, and whether or not the proposal from Mr. Glavin and Mr. Cammann met the requirements to be submitted for a second vote.

Mr. Newman argued that the requirements had not been met.

But Mr. Glavin said the selectmen had a responsibility to take the proposal back to the voters.

Mr. Newman said the proposed lease terms submitted by he applicants did not constitute a lease and therefore the article could not go on the warrant.

“You don’t have a lease,” said Mr. Newman.

“You have a proposed lease,” answered Mr. Glavin.

“There’s your mistake,” Mr. Newman shot back. “You’re saying to me that we have a proposal and you’re saying that proposal is a lease.”

“You’re not a lawyer,” said Mr. Glavin.

“I have spoken to a lawyer,” he said.

“Okay, where’s your opinion?” asked Mr. Glavin.

“Excuse me,” said Mr. Newman. “I have a motion on the table.”

“Yes, but now there’s discussion,” selectman Spencer Booker chimed in.

“Well, I’m going to call it in a minute,” said Mr. Newman.

Selectman Camille Rose said the town would be acting in bad faith by not bringing the proposal to the town meeting floor for a vote.

“Given that you’re both on record as opposing the plan do you have the intention to pursue it in good faith?” she asked.

“We can talk about it on a different scale,” answered Mr. Newman.

“But there are 40 town voters [who approved taking the first steps in March] . . . do you have any intention of honoring the vote?” she said.

Mr. Booker said the board’s request for proposals was too vague, did not ask for a business plan and should be republished.

In the end Mr. Newman’s motion to deny the application was approved 2-1, with Ms. Rose casting the dissenting vote.

The whole episode began at a March special town meeting, where voters agreed 40-15 to allow the selectmen to put out a request for proposals for a performing arts stage at the cliffs. Based on a preliminary proposal from Mr. Glavin and Mr. Cammann, the article requested that a lease be drawn up and be presented to the town at the annual town meeting on May 12. The draft article was later changed to a special town meeting for May 19 at the request of the town moderator.

Mr. Glavin and Mr. Cammann were the sole respondents to the request for proposals last month.

They attended an April 21 meeting of the selectmen at which Mr. Booker and Ms. Rose suggested minor changes to the proposal. Ms. Rose suggested that a lawyer acting for Mr. Glavin and Mr. Cammann draw up a lease agreement. The proposal was not referred to town counsel for review.

Mr. Newman did not attend the meeting, but said he would have suggested major changes to the proposal and would have insisted that a draft lease be prepared by town counsel.

“I was out of the country,” he said, “But the [Circle Productions] proposal was totally abhorrent.”

At the Monday meeting Mr. Newman laid blame with the applicants for discussing their proposal so far ahead of the deadline for the special town meeting warrant.

Later in the week though, speaking to the Gazette, Mr. Nemwan relented.

“Okay I take that back. It’s a little unfair. But I personally felt that when Camille suggested minor changes, a red light goes off, we needed great changes. I’m not prepared to go to the town meeting with a lease which I personally feel is not beneficial to the town.”

He added that he felt the proposal should have been referred to the Martha’s Vineyard Commission.

“This is one of the most important votes I’ve had in my six years as selectman,” he said.

Speaking after the meeting, Mr. Glavin said political considerations had dominated the issue.

“The board was very polarized, with Spencer in the middle,” he said. “I understand why he voted no. I probably would have sitting in his chair.”

He said that Monday’s vote effectively killed the project, for this year at least, but that he and Mr. Cammann have not given up.

“We’re a bit discouraged at the moment, but we’re not dead,” Mr. Glavin said.

Selectmen Spike Concert Venue in Aquinnah

with permission, MV Times

By Steve Myrick

Aquinnah selectmen Monday rejected a proposal from town residents James Glavin and Ted Cammann to create an outdoor performing arts center at the Aquinnah circle adjacent to the Gay Head cliffs. The divided vote followed a sharp and heated debate.

Chairman Jim Newman and Spencer Booker voted in favor of a motion to reject the proposal. Camille Rose, a strong supporter of the use of the circle as a concert venue, opposed the motion.

The selectmen met to approve a warrant for a special town meeting on May 19, when voters might have had the opportunity to take action on a proposed lease between the town and Mssrs. Glavin and Cammann for the long-term use of the circle.

An article that asked voters to decide the question of a lease was included on the draft warrant. The rejection of the proposal means the article will not appear on the special town meeting warrant.

The proposal first surfaced this winter when Mr. Glavin, owner of DECA Construction, and Mr. Cammann, a veteran producer of live music concerts, outlined their plans to create a summer concert venue at the Aquinnah circle.

They proposed to use the land’s natural topography as an amphitheater. The stage would be placed in the lower section so that the audience would be looking out in the direction of Nomans Land.

By a vote of 40-15, at a special town meeting on March 3, voters approved an article that asked selectmen to “solicit proposals to lease a portion of the Aquinnah circle for purposes of constructing a performing arts staging structure; provided, however, that any lease will be contingent on approval by a vote of a special town meeting.”

Voters were told that a special town meeting would be held in May to consider the terms of any lease.

Mr. Cammann and Mr. Glavin submitted a proposal, the only one received that called for the lease of the circle area, beginning June 1, 2009 for 10 years, with an option to renew. They said events would be held between June 1 and Sept. 30 and be limited to 2,500 tickets for each event. The town would receive $1 per year for the first two years of the lease, and $1 per ticket sold for the last eight years of the lease.

The men aimed to negotiate a ground lease, operating agreement, and enabling document establishing a citizen advisory board, which would be presented to voters on May 19.

During Monday’s meeting, chairman Jim Newman stuck fiercely to a strict interpretation of the article approved at the town meeting. He said that the board was under no obligation to accept the proposal submitted, and if it was rejected, there was no question to put before voters.

“There’s an overwhelming movement against it, against the way it’s been done in such a hasty way,” said Mr. Newman. “We don’t have a lease, we have not seen a lease. We cannot make any recommendations on the town floor.”

Mr. Glavin and Mr. Cammann said the lease and operating agreement they submitted were meant to be a starting point for negotiation, but selectmen refused to negotiate any of the terms. That point sparked a heated exchange between Mr. Newman and Mr. Glavin.

“The purpose of negotiation was to put that lease before the voters,” said Mr. Glavin.

“I do not have a lease,” said Mr. Newman.

“You have a lease,” said Mr. Glavin.

“There’s your mistake, if you’re saying to me that we have a proposal and you’re saying that proposal is a lease,” said Mr. Newman.

“You’re not a lawyer,” said Mr. Glavin.

“No, but I have discussed it with our lawyer,” said Mr. Newman.

“Then where is his opinion,” asked Mr. Glavin.

“We’re not mandated to accept a proposal if it is believed to be inadequate,” said Mr. Newman.

Ms. Rose asked pointed questions of the chairman during the short but terse debate. “Are the 40 town voters who voted for this to be ignored?” she asked.

“I have not seen anybody come out who was in favor of this since that meeting,” said Mr. Newman.

“There was a vote, have you any intention of honoring the vote,” asked Ms. Rose.

“Yes, if we had a proposal that was acceptable,” said Mr. Newman.

Mr. Booker mostly stayed out of the debate, except to assert that he thought the town should issue a more detailed request for proposals (RFP). “I personally feel the RFP we first submitted was not adequate,” he said.

Mr. Newman refused to set any timetable for future negotiation, or for issuing of a new, more detailed RFP. Ms. Rose pointed out that she did not favor the proposal as submitted, but thought it was a good basis for negotiation

Later during the meeting, in a response to a question from Wampanoag tribal administrator Tobias Vanderhoop, Ms. Rose said that by soliciting proposals, selectmen were doing only half of what voters asked them to do. “The other half was to prepare a lease,” she said. “Regardless of how that was worded, that’s what the intent of the voters was, there’s no question about it.”

Following the meeting, Mr. Newman and Mr. Booker said the proposal submitted was not adequate.

“The proposal spelled out the town’s obligation,” Mr. Newman told The Times. “It should have centered on what they were going to do. We should have had some business plan, we should have known more about what they had in mind.”

“It was put on a fast track,” said Mr. Booker. “Things were rushed and the RFP wasn’t thorough. The RFP didn’t specifically spell out we’re looking for a business plan to go with the concept. Had that been done, and had we taken the time and thought it out correctly instead of fast-tracking it, we would be in a different place than we find ourselves today. I don’t like the terms of the lease. I will not present it to the town in its current form.”

In separate conversations following the vote, Mr. Glavin and Mr. Cammann told The Times they were disappointed with the selectmen’s action.

“It’s a shame that a few negative people scream loudly,” said Mr. Cammann in a phone conversation with The Times on Wednesday. “One selectmen is able to manipulate letters and so on to make it appear there is overwhelming opposition. If he thinks that’s the case, then it should really go in front of the town for a vote. Political maneuvering and back room politics, that’s not something I thought we were going to be dealing with. I thought we were going to be dealing with forthright and honest people.”

Both men criticized a public hearing held March 30, which they said was packed with opponents.

“We weren’t allowed to respond to individual comments,” said Mr. Cammann. “I felt like we were gagged.” Mr. Cammann said at the end of the meeting, when they were ready to respond, the meeting descended into chaos. “Totally out of control. People were just getting up and talking and yelling, whoever could yell the loudest got to be heard.”

In a letter to The Times, Mr. Glavin called the selectmen’s action an effort to “co-opt the process via raw political power rationalized by some spurious semantic feints.”

In another letter to The Times, 31 people added their names to a letter opposing the plan for summer concerts.

“We do not reside in Aquinnah to fight with, to listen to, or to watch traffic and to breathe its exhaust, or to admire the many cars parking up and down Moshup Trail, or to have electronically amplified sound keep our children awake at night while blotting out the sounds of nature,” said the group in its letter. “We can get that in other places. We come here, to the far end of an Island in the middle of the ocean, for a different reason.”

Mr. Glavin and Mr. Cammann, however, said they would move forward with their plans.

“We need to sit down and try and find middle ground,” said Mr. Cammann. “I remain optimistic, maybe naively so. There’s still a great many people in town who support this. I think it’s going to happen. Our pace has been altered, but I think our objective is the same and our support is the same.”

Mr. Glavin said, “There are some people here who are diametrically opposed to it. If that’s the majority, even if it’s close to the majority, frankly, it’s not going to work. We are certainly not going to force something down the town’s throat.”

Letters re: Aquinnah Circle Concert Venue Proposal

with permission, MV Times, Letters to the Editor

Let the voters say

To the Editor:

The events of this past week affecting our proposal for a place for the performing arts at the Aquinnah Circle leave the effort diverted but not derailed, delayed but not destroyed. There was a successful effort by several residents, some of whom are voters, to co-opt the process via raw political power rationalized by some spurious semantic feints. The pity is, in a turn of events sometimes acrimonious, occasionally hysterical, the will of the voters remains unknown. In that fact, these opponents may have mis-served their own cause.

My purpose here is not to advocate our concept as much as to highlight the failures of process we all experienced. Indeed, our proposal seeks only to benefit the larger group of townspeople: if it is not the will of the voters to embrace our offer, so be it. With that will unknowable, given the lack of good faith displayed in the manner this was handled, the question remains open, serving no one. This minority group has fallen into the trap of allowing their zealotry to overshadow all reason and due process. It is an ethical truism that ends do not justify the means. Perhaps they took the path they did out of desperation, out of fear of the truth. The only fact left knowable is that such truth remains unknown, begging for the light of day.

The argument against the effort revolves mostly about the desire for stasis. Admittedly, it threatens the status quo. But it does so to achieve an arguably larger good for the arts, for the economy of the poorest town in the Commonwealth, for the sharing of the cultures we all embrace. This is the choice we still believe only the voters are empowered to make. At times, we all have felt the desire to be the last person off the boat. But this is a cynical expression of negativity that defies logic, courtesy or propriety. Why not let the voters speak their mind?

Most of all, my partner, Ted Cammann, and myself want to thank all those who take heed of the merits that all but a very few will admit may accrue to our idea and assume a positive perspective – positive not necessarily in favor our proposal, but positive for our future in their persistent attempts to find common ground to bring the most benefit to the greater part of our community. Those indeed are the ones our children should look up to and seek to emulate.

Jim Glavin
Circle Productions LLC
Aquinnah

It’s not Aquinnah

To the Editor:

This is a copy of a letter to the Aquinnah selectmen.

This letter is in vigorous opposition to the proposal of Circle Productions to create a seasonal venue for the holding of concerts and other events in the circle at the cliffs. We, 31 undersigned residents of Aquinnah, request that this letter be read into the public record at the public hearing to be held on this matter, April 30, or whenever held.

As we all know, Aquinnah is an unusual place. Indeed, even Wikipedia, the world wide web’s encyclopedia, states that Aquinnah “is known for its beautiful clay cliffs and its quiet natural serenity, which has become less common in the heavily populated northeastern United States.” Thus, we agree with the opening statement of the group seeking to promote such concerts.

In their proposal, they state that the townspeople of Aquinnah, are “blessed with a very special and unique place.” That statement is right on the money (so to speak). It is, in fact, the essence of why we all want to be here.

We also agree with the promoters that the uniqueness of Aquinnah and of the cliffs makes it a particularly attractive venue for concerts or for other public gatherings. But the issue here is not whether Aquinnah is a good place for concerts. The issue is whether concerts are good for Aquinnah.

The congestion, the traffic, the pollution, the litter and, above all, the loud amplified sound emanating from the proposed stage and echoing into the landscape and into our homes are not in keeping with the nature and identity of this community. No amount of fine tuning of the proposal, no amount of tinkering with the terms and conditions of the proposed lease, no amount of negotiation with the promoters is going to solve this fundamental inconsistency. No matter how well run and organized, an ongoing series of concerts at the circle is in direct conflict with the uniqueness of our town and with our “quiet natural serenity.”

On a personal level, we wish to say that all of us reside in Aquinnah because we love the openness and texture of the landscape, the sound of the surf hitting the beach, the crickets at night, the wind in the trees, the solitude and privacy, and the friendship of our neighbors. For us, there is no place else on earth like this.

We do not reside in Aquinnah to fight with, to listen to, or to watch traffic and to breathe its exhaust, or to admire the many cars parking up and down Moshup Trail, or to have electronically amplified sound keep our children awake at night while blotting out the sounds of nature. We can get that in other places. We come here, to the far end of an Island in the middle of the ocean, for a different reason.

As for congestion, the promoters admit as much in their proposal. They say, “these events will attract visitors who may not otherwise have ventured into the woolly westernmost wilds of our Island….” But, as a town, haven’t we tried very hard to keep things “woolly and wild?” Why would bringing hundreds or thousands of people to Aquinnah on a regular basis be attractive to the town?

To the promoters, the reason is to increase commerce. Their proposal states that bringing visitors would “create an opportunity for the more established businesses to increase their exposure, not only on the day of the event; but by instilling their offerings in the minds of these sometime visitors….” In this way, the proposal continues, these visitors would be “likely to return at another time.” In plain English, bringing more visitors now means even more visitors later, and not just on weekends.

And where does bringing more and more visitors to Aquinnah all end? What is the ultimate effect on the town? To what degree will this change the nature of this place? The promoters address this issue as well. They state: “It is impossible for us to conjure a certain vision of where this proposal will lead after a number of years.” Yes, indeed.

Is increasing the circle’s commercial use in the Aquinnah residents’ best interests? Is such commercial expansion part of our town’s long-term plan? To be absurd, we could conceivably put a strip mall at the top of the circle and have a mini-Woodstock every weekend. But how less absurd is it – no matter the degree of commercialization – to act contrary to and to defeat the very reason we all reside here?

The promoters, it appears, seek to establish a kind of outdoor Hot Tin Roof in the heart of our community, one where we can hear the music from our houses without having to pay for admission.

How many of our fellow townspeople are delighted that they don’t live down-island – with all its traffic – during the summer?  How many of us seek a decrease in the value of our homes, because Aquinnah’s identity as a safe, quiet and unique haven is threatened and up for sale? Is the dignity of the Vanderhoop homestead for sale? How much are the spectacular and commanding views of Philbin Beach and Nomans Land worth?

The promoters state that Aquinnah “offers us all an opportunity and a responsibility in the privilege to designate its use.” We submit that their proposal is an inappropriate use and, given our town’s uniqueness, it is irresponsible as well.

The promoters state that their “proposal has no merit if it fails to bring us together as neighbors in pursuit of the greater good….” We agree. By bringing an activity to Aquinnah that is alien to its identity, to its nature, and to our reasons for being here, this proposal will surely fail to bring the people of Aquinnah together as neighbors. Nor does the proposal promote the greater good; it will, instead, tend toward destroying it. Judged, then, even by the promoters’ own terms, the proposal has no merit.

Respectfully submitted.

Rob Schiller, Sue Jensen, Tom Murphy, Christine Murphy, Tim Murphy, Kate Murphy, Jim Vercruysee, Layne Vercruysee, Steven Kaufman, Barrie Keller, Joseph Corbo, Faith Corbo, Ron Lowe, Cindy Lowe, John Patton, Lisa Donahue, Kristin Mannion, H.P. Goldfield, Catherine Vickery, David Vickery, Barbara Okun, Cheryl Batzer, Gary Foster, Lisa Foster, Clyde Phillips, Jane Lancelotti, Sarah Thulin, Dennis Thulin, Jay Theise, Beth Green, Jerry Green
Aquinnah

Concert at the Cliffs Plan Riles Aquinnah Residents

with permission from MV Gazette

By Julia Wells

A budding plan to allow two Aquinnah concert promoters to build a summer outdoor performance center at the Gay Head Cliffs has begun to draw more darts than the P.A. Club on a Friday night.

A public hearing was set for last evening and Aquinnah selectmen moved the location to the old town hall because they were expecting a crowd.

The architects of the plan are Ted Cammann and Jim Glavin, both Aquinnah residents. Mr. Cammann has a long background in producing musical events; Mr. Glavin is the owner of Deca Construction. Both were involved in putting on a music festival in Aquinnah last summer and are now partners in a company called Circle Productions LLC. The company was the sole responder to a request for proposals put out by the town for the project.

But townspeople have begun to react negatively. A letter signed by 31 Aquinnah residents circulated this week denouncing the plan, which is tentatively slated to come before voters at a special town meeting on May 19. And the selectmen’s office has been flooded with feedback, virtually all opposed.

“We . . . agree with the promoters that the uniqueness of Aquinnah and of the cliffs makes it a particularly attractive venue for concerts or for other public gatherings. But the issue here is not whether Aquinnah is a good place for concerts. The issue is whether concerts are good for Aquinnah,” the letter says in part. The signers asked to have the letter read into the record of last night’s public hearing.

The e-mails are piling up too; at press time yesterday the town office had received e-mails signed by nearly 50 people, about half of them from voters, half from seasonal residents and taxpayers.

“The summer program of having concerts at the Cliffs is a terrible idea. Parking on Moshup trail will destroy that very precious area . . . Please vote against this happening,” wrote Dr. Allen M. Goorin, a seasonal resident.

Similar sentiment was reflected in the other e-mails.

Not atypically for Aquinnah, there has been confusion around the plan and the sequence of events that led to it.

Its first public airing was at a special town meeting in March, where voters agreed to allow the selectmen to put out an RFP for the project.

The deadline for the RFP was April 17.

In the proposal formally submitted in April, Circle Productions would lease the natural amphitheatre at the Cliffs from the town for $1 a year. The company would give the town $1 per ticket for all profit-making concerts. Concerts would be limited to 2,500 people and would operate from June to September. The proposal envisions building a stage and backstage, although no permanent seating, to allow a wide range of concerts and arts events, some for profit, some nonprofit, including educational events and events for children.

Under the terms of the proposal the town would be responsible for maintenance of the area and would be asked to help provide storage for equipment associated with the concerts. Public safety responsibility is framed in the broadest terms: “Safety and traffic management plans have already been and will continue to be developed with the town chief of police for all events. Health, ambulance and first aid issues will be coordinated with the Tri-Town ambulance group,” the proposal states in part. The proposal also states: “Uniformed police personnel shall not patrol or display a presence inside the event grounds unless requested by the organizers.”

The proposal also states that the backers hope to work with the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) on cultural events.

But in a letter sent to the selectmen in February the tribal historic preservation officer spoke out strongly against the plan for the Cliffs, which are considered sacred. “This location is of paramount historical, traditional and cultural significance to the Aquinnah Wampanoag people. This is our ancient homeland and this site is an extraordinary piece of cultural history for our people, from ancient times until present,” wrote Bettina M. Washington.

The Circle Productions proposal is available for public inspection in the selectmen’s office in the town hall.

The Aquinnah annual town meeting is May 12, but town administrator Jeffrey Burgoyne said this week that the performance proposal was moved to a special town meeting at the request of town moderator Walter E. Delaney, who thought the issue would require a large amount of time for discussion.

“In the interest of keeping things timely at the annual town meeting, he asked that the matter be moved to another day,” Mr. Burgoyne said.

Mr. Burgoyne said the hearing last night would give people an opportunity to state their opinions, and would allow the proponents to speak on their own behalf.

“It really is a determination as to what the political will is going to be,” he said.

Aquinnah selectman Jim Newman said yesterday that he does not support the plan and intends to move at the regular board meeting on Tuesday afternoon to cancel the special town meeting.

“I think it’s premature and it would have to go to the commission and we haven’t even talked about that,” Mr. Newman said. “I don’t see how we could even vote on this [at a special town meeting]. It’s not ready for that. My feeling is that this meeting should be canceled.”