Report from OHTF sparks broader conversation

The Old Harbor Task Force’s annual memo to the Town Council led to some meaty conversations at the council’s meeting on December 21, in turn leading to what might be called a road map for 2023.The task force’s mission is to bring improvements to the downtown area. One may think of them as limited to park maintenance, but they have also been leaders in the procurement of the Big Belly trash cans around town. This year’s report includes observations on traffic, ferry rates, as they relate to the overabundance of cars coming to the island in the summer, electric bikes and scooters, a shuttle, street lights and sidewalks, the Visitor’s Center, trash cans and parking.The four-page report includes a section on “ongoing problems” that reads: “As if you didn’t know…and as we have stated in every memo we have written: The bathrooms downtown need upgrading, downtown traffic is a nightmare, parking is a problem and the Visitor’s Center needs to be reorganized. We hope you noticed…trash pickup is better this year and we didn’t put it on the list.!”Parking especially has increasingly been a problem, with those seeking a space getting ever more creative and various people in

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