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Oak Bluffs EDC narrows shoulder-season definition, adds winter to strategic-plan RFP
Summary
The Oak Bluffs Economic Development Council agreed June 30 to define shoulder seasons as April–May and October–December, include winter in its strategic-plan RFP, and shorten the proposal window to 30 days. The council also asked the contractor to propose an implementation structure and to build on the Rapid Recovery Plan and Oak Bluffs Master Plan.
Mark Leonard, chair of the Oak Bluffs Economic Development Council, led a June 30 meeting to tighten the strategic-plan request for proposals that the council will send to prospective contractors. The council agreed to define spring shoulder season as April–May and fall as October–December and to include winter in the plan’s scope to ensure the strategy addresses off-peak months.
The group instructed that the RFP explicitly reference the Rapid Recovery Plan and the Oak Bluffs Master Plan as foundational documents and requested that the contractor provide a suggested organizational structure to clarify roles among the town administration, the Oak Bluffs Association (OBA) and the Chamber of Commerce. Members also voted to shorten the public proposal window to 30 days, with an option to extend if necessary, while keeping the final deliverable date in late February to allow for a potential Warrant Article at the April Town Meeting and time for grant applications in June.
Maura McGroarty, who joined the meeting by Zoom, cautioned that inadequate heating and insulation in downtown businesses could block efforts to extend operating seasons, calling for the RFP outreach and surveys to include specific questions about building heating, insulation and air-conditioning capabilities. The council agreed to add that survey item to future business outreach.
Next steps: Leonard will update the RFP language to reflect the agreed definitions and timeline, add the town as an explicit funding option in the funding-strategy section, ask for contractor recommendations on subcommittees and organizational charts, and finalize a letter introducing the council and its work to town businesses.
