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Select Board prioritizes door repairs at 9 Oak Bluffs Avenue; broader moratorium questions deferred
Summary
Owners of 9 Oak Bluffs Avenue asked to proceed with safety repairs after unpermitted work revealed noncompliant doors. Building Commissioner Petkus and the board agreed to allow code-related door replacements now while pausing other elective work; no formal vote was taken on broader moratorium exemptions.
Owners and counsel for 9 Oak Bluffs Avenue told the Select Board on July 14 that unpermitted upstairs work revealed doors that do not meet egress code. Attorney Geoghan Coogan and owner AJ Calloway said they had begun soundproofing work and discovered the doors were out of compliance; they asked the board to allow necessary repairs despite the downtown work moratorium.
Building Commissioner Petkus said replacing doors to meet egress standards would be a code-required safety repair and expressed willingness to work with the owners to make the doors compliant, but cautioned that additional elective work (framing, insulation, drywall) should stop pending review. The board reached consensus to prioritize immediate safety/code door repairs and to seek legal guidance on other work; the board did not take a formal vote to exempt the project from the moratorium.
Chair Alley said the downtown building moratorium will be amended and moved to a town bylaw in the future. Attorney Coogan said he was comfortable coordinating directly with the building commissioner on the safety repairs.
