The town may soon be the proud owner of the Yellow House. The only question remaining is for how much.
By a vote of 399-152, voters approved a Proposition 2½ capital exclusion for $1.5 million Thursday that will allow the town to either buy the dilapidated building at the corner of Main and Summer streets or take it by eminent domain.
The issue has been a contentious one between the town and the Hall family, spanning more than a decade of court hearings and town board meetings.
Voters on Tuesday approved an additional $1.5 million in community preservations to preserve the historic building, which brings the total to $3 million.
The Hall family could take the town to court on the purchase price, but that’s the only issue still in dispute.
There were 568 votes cast in Thursday’s election, nearly 16 percent of the town’s 3,597 registered voters.
Voters also approved four other spending questions for a total of $1.7 million for a new pumper for the fire station, a new dredge, a patrol/collection vessel for the harbormaster, a dredge and a bike lane on Meshacket Road.
The fire pumper was approved 420-127, the boat won 407-142, the dredge was approved 401-149, and the bike lane won 433-144.
A non-binding question having to do with eliminating moped rentals also passed by a margin of 497-46.
In the only contested races on the ballot, Lucy Chedzoy Morrison defeated incumbent chairman Alan Wilson, 286-219 for a five-year term on the planning board.
The post Edgartown says yes to buying Yellow House appeared first on Martha's Vineyard Times.