Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation is delighted to report that, on December 21, 2023, it purchased 7.7 acres of land at 78 Campbell Road and 55 Line Drive in West Tisbury from Carol Kenney. The purchase price for the land was $1,822,500. The land will soon host Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation’s maintenance facility, office, and staff housing. The purchase of this property accomplishes a most significant strategic goal of Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation.
The property features two buildings that will prove essential to the operations of Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation. The first is a large, three-bay garage. This garage is already housing the Foundation’s mowers, tools, and equipment. It will serve as a critical workshop, repair shop, and storage space. From this relatively central location, Foundation staff can reliably service and maintain all of the Foundation’s properties around the island.
The second building is two stories, and is approximately 5,000 square feet in size. The second floor features a two-bedroom apartment that will be used for staff housing, an office, and a workshop. The workshop on the second floor will be converted into additional office space. The first floor is slab on grade, and will be renovated to host office and meeting space for the Foundation. Surrounding the buildings is a paved area that will provide parking.
The land is notable for several reasons, but especially for the trail connections that it offers and makes possible. The land slopes down to the Tiasquam River, where a charming wooden footbridge spans the stream. The footbridge connects an existing trail to a trail easement that has been donated by Ellen and Edwin Harley. This trail runs around the perimeter of the pastoral Stone Wall Farm, and offers links to a variety of Land Bank trails in the neighborhood. On the other side of the Tiasquam, the Campbell Road property can ultimately be connected to the King’s Highway and thence to other trails in this area.
Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation will place a permanent conservation restriction on the land, and give this restriction to the Town of West Tisbury. The conservation restriction will include a building envelope that surrounds the area of existing buildings on the property. Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation has also agreed to maintain Campbell Road, as part of the Special Permit that has been issued by the West Tisbury Zoning Board of Appeals.
The Foundation gives a special thanks to Carol Kenney. As the seller, Ms. Kenney worked very cooperatively with Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation throughout the acquisition process. Sheriff’s Meadow thanks its neighbors, many of whom wrote important letters of support during the ZBA Special Permit process. The Foundation offers a very special thanks to all those who made generous donations to enable Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation to purchase this property.
Sheriff’s Meadow still needs to raise funds to support the renovation of this property. Currently, we are seeking to raise an additional $200,000 for building renovations. We are also seeking to install a solar panel system on the buildings, and this system may offer special opportunities for donors. If you are interested in seeing the property, making a donation, or helping to support the solar panel system, please contact Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation at (508) 693-5207 or via email at moore@sheriffsmeadow.org.