Lack of Trust

Eric Glasgow Thursday, September 15 2022 - 3:04pm

In the spring of 2009 my wife, Molly, and I purchased what was then known as Rainbow Farm in Chilmark from David Douglas.

Editors, Vineyard Gazette;

In the spring of 2009 my wife, Molly, and I purchased what was then known as Rainbow Farm in Chilmark from David Douglas. The historic property had been a dairy up until 1961 and Molly and I had a dream of turning it back into a working dairy farm. David sold us the five-acre house lot that he owned and transferred to us the lease he had on the other 100 acres of property. The leased land is owned by the Trustees of Reservations (TTOR) and the lease we have runs until 2040.

Molly and I dove in head first from day one. We built our family home here and we made extensive investments in the leased property. We built a barn for the cows and a creamery and a milking parlor. We amended the soil, drilled wells and put up new fences and a thousand other things we needed to run a farm. We also started talking to TTOR almost immediately about extending our lease beyond its original term. We had extensive back and forth discussions in the early years but never reached an agreement.

In 2014, not long after we finished rebuilding from a devastating fire the year before, TTOR broke off all negotiations and told us they were no longer interested in discussing our lease extension. We tried appealing directly to board members and wealthy donors and had lawyers write letters in an effort to get them back to the table but were not able to get them to talk to us at all for nearly six years. Over the course of the last two and a half years we have had some renewed discussions with TTOR but this has not led to any further clarity.

Like other Island businesses, we struggle with housing for our employees. We negotiated at great length with the state and the town to come up with a plan to convert an existing barn into much-needed workforce housing. This plan has been fully permitted by all relevant authorities but has been in limbo for nearly a year as we try to negotiate with TTOR. Without employee housing and other capital investment in the farm it is unclear to Molly and I how the farm will be able to continue to be a part of the Island community.

We have explained this at length and in detail to TTOR, but this has not moved them. We have proposed different ideas and strategies on how to move forward but have received no serious response. The full TTOR board will meet in Edgartown next week and today I was informed they will not be putting forth or considering any proposals about a lease extension or our future stewardship. Under the circumstances this means we will not be able to move forward with our planned employee housing project which is a huge disappointment to us and our employees.

We have tried to pursue this matter quietly, through back channels. Two years ago we were heartened to see the Town of Edgartown put agricultural interests first and take the Farm Institute back after TTOR failed to live up to the commitments outlined in their farm management plan. Earlier this summer, we saw how a unified and concerted outcry from the local community convinced TTOR to change course and reconsider their Oversand Vehicle Draft Management Plan. We sincerely hope that the Board of the Trustees moves at their upcoming meeting to take into account the local jobs, community impact and legacy of working agriculture and decides to act decisively to extend our lease.

Eric Glasgow lives in Chilmark. He is the owner of the Grey Barn and Farm.

Comments

I don't have all of the facts

Cindy Starks Oak Bluffs

I don't have all of the facts or information, but it seems to me another case of TTOR not truly thinking through the ramifications of their actions. Grey Barn and Farm has become a wonderful part of this island community and I would hate to lose them! I hope that this letter gets the kind of response needed to make them take notice and rethink their actions.

I sure hope that TTOR can see

andrew a goldman chilmark

I sure hope that TTOR can see their way clear to working with Eric to help make the farm the continued success it has been to date--a wonderful resource for the entire Vineyard community.

If not, I would really like a public statement from TTOR of what it might be that precludes this as it is hard to imagine why this arrangement that has been so successful shouldn't be allowed to continue.

What could be better for the

Patsy Vh

What could be better for the island,than the proposal putting forth affordable housing for local employees? Also what could be better for the community than keeping the gray barn as it is? What is the downside of extending the lease on the land to the gray barn? Did the trustees need more walking pass or more green spaces? It seems to me, that there’s enough green space on this island and we don’t need more of it, because every time we create more, it lessens the availability of land for housing to be built by those who grew up here! It is very difficult even for the wealthiest to buy property here now, so why make it even more difficult for those who are less fortunate but still want to remain on the island? I certainly hope the trustees will reconsider this issue as soon as possible! Thank you

TTOR is wrong in so many

Al lewis Chilmark

TTOR is wrong in so many levels. There simply isn’t enough housing, and that should be a priority for everyone.

And Grey Barn is a large employer and a major draw to the island, with a very small
“footprint” owing to their sustainable practices.

I would urge TTOR to reconsider or I will never renew my membership.

I have followed you and Molly

Janet Doyle Marblehead

I have followed you and Molly since you bought your farm. You have done an outstanding job of resurrecting a fine way of living and supplying fresh product to the community. It is time for the community to step up and allow you to make further improvements to land you have been nurturing for 13 years. Good luck.

One of the saddest letters I

Bruce Fernie West Tisbury

One of the saddest letters I have read this summer.
Molly and Eric are exactly the types of entrepreneurs that the island needs and they should be supported 100% by the community and groups such as the Trustees of Reservations.
What exactly is TTOF for if not to protect and promote exactly what The Grey Barn has become?

Trustees? What a misnomer!

Geraldine Brooks West Tisbury

Trustees? What a misnomer! This is shameful dereliction. Also inexplicable. I will write to the board and I hope everyone else who loves the farm and this family will do the same.

Grey Barn is nothing less

Ed Lehrman West Tisbury

Grey Barn is nothing less than a gem of the Up Island Community. The investment , care, and attention the owners have put in over the years is obvious to both locals and visitors. Just come to their parking lot all summer and stand in line before they open and you will see how they have become an island tradition. It’s time to support these people who put such hard work into making MV an even more special place.

I have to say it doesn't seem

richmond hoxie New York

I have to say it doesn't seem to make much sense for the Trustees to be so intractable. There are no details here as to why the TTOR is refusing to extend the land use here. I have frequently purchased milk, bread and cheese from Grey Barn, and it is of excellent quality, if very expensive. I understand, however, that responsible stewardship costs money, and so I make an allowance for this. The Glasgows seem to me to be responsible stewards of the land. The farm seems beautifully and sustainably managed. What exactly are the objections that TTOR have to the way Grey Barn is being run that is behind their intransigence? It would be good to have the whole story. Richmond Hoxie

I am in favor of TTOR

Julie head San Leandro, CA

I am in favor of TTOR extending the lease.

This family invested their lives to build an organic dairy farm, located on property that had historically been a dairy. My understanding is that The Grey Barn and Farm rotates crops and limits the number of livestock on the leased land to sustainably produce food within the community. It sounds like they want to repurpose an existing barn to help people live on the island affordably while working at the farm. I think that’s all wonderful and it seems to be in line with TTOR’s mission.

TTOR allowed the dairy facilities to be built on the land lease. Why did they stop discussing the lease extension after the family had completed construction and rebuilding of the dairy after the fire? That’s the thing that doesn’t make sense to me.

It takes money, time, creativity and vision to build and maintain a beautiful and humane organic farm. It also takes long term planning. The Glasgow’s have shouldered the risks to created a unique place, and are asking to continue their efforts. Seems win-win to grant a lease extension.

It is our hope that the TTOR

Laurene Krasny Brown Vineyard Haven e New York City

It is our hope that the TTOR will work with the Grey Barn
and enable them to accommodate their employees on site.
What could possibly stand in the way of this decision, given
the contributions to island life that Grey Barn's agricultural
efforts add to this community? There needs to be at the very
least an open conversation without delay between TTOR and GB
about the lease extension. Not having Grey Barn here would be
a terrible loss.

My family and I have

Kelly Oak Bluffs

My family and I have supported TTOR with membership and have enjoyed their properties thoroughly, however not being willing to renegotiate on this for the long-term betterment of this property and the health, safety, and livelihood of the farm's employees is short sighted and arrogant on the Trustees part. Grey Barn brings a lot to the community and the island and the Glasgow's have really made something great; I would think further development and investment would be a win for everyone involved.

Everyone needs to calm down.

Prudy Burt West Tisbury

Everyone needs to calm down.
The Glasgows own several adjacent properties used to house their staff: the front unit at 1091 State Road; the 4 bedroom, 2 bath house they just renovated at 36 South Road.-also at 36 South Road is a new building constructed during their ownership with multiple plumbing vents in the roof indicating a habitable structure; and lastly, there is the farmhouse at the Glasgow's 22 South Road property, built by former owner David Douglas for his farm manager at the time, presumably still used to house farm staff. Also located at 22 South Road is the new 5,000+ square foot house the Glasgows built for their own occupancy.
I worked on this farm when I was a kid in the late 1970s, and I remember Dr. Warren, then owner, who put the APR restriction on this property. His forward thinking and actions at that time - working with The Trustees (then TTOR) to purchase the development rights and place the agricultural preservation restriction (APR) on this property - are the ONLY thing that have kept this land affordable for agriculture in perpetuity. Thus reducing the tax burden and the value of the land was to the Glasgows' direct financial benefit when they purchased this property
Clearly, the Glasgows had access to the best possible legal and financial counsel at the time of purchase and were made well aware of the terms of the lease, and the restrictions as spelled out in the APR.
Eyes wide open, folks, there are no victims here.

Couldn’t agree more. They

Lois H. Chilmark

Couldn’t agree more. They knew what they were getting into (re:lease), and have benefited immensely from what they’ve been able to build. They own 5 livable (even by non-vineyard) structures on this island, and they choose not to rent the newly renovated 4 bedroom to farm staff. Not to mention the Glasgow’s hike their employees rent in accordance with raises…

At the end of the day they can run their business how they want, and the Trustees can run their business how they want. I think the two of them deserve each other and it’s a shame to see people eat this story up with a spoon.

Eric and Molly do own several

Asa Baer

Eric and Molly do own several houses that they use for staff housing, during my years of working there I lived in three different units. They have a total of seven rental units, all but one of them is used for employee housing (the other one is rented out year round to another local business owner) many of their employees have their spouses and families live with them, and even if you did figure 2 employees per unit (which is a stretch) that would account for 14 employees. Meanwhile they employ close to 40 people during the busy season and have a year round staff of around 20. The need for more employee housing is very much a real thing, so I’m confused as to what your point is. Their personal house is a mute point, and also I think being over 10 years old makes it far from new….

Eric and Molly do not want to remove the land from APR status (which I believe would be impossible anyways) all they are asking for is a lease extension, which is very, very normal. For them to continue to invest in the future of the farm they need to be able to fully depreciate the infrastructure they build. The normal depreciation schedule of a building is longer than what they have on the lease. Renovating an existing barn to include some additional employee housing, and making much needed improvements to the land is completely allowed and encouraged within the APR restrictions. I’m confused as to where you are getting the idea that either Eric or Molly have an issue with the land being APR, they have just been trying to negotiate with the trustees to extend their lease.

What does the size of the

JD Chilmark

What does the size of the Glasgow's house have to do with anything?
This is about extending their lease and keeping the farm running past 2040. They have given so much to the Island community by reviving this dairy farm and yet instead of supporting their efforts you are chirping about the properties they already own to house employees and the square footage of their house!?

We're building a home nearby

Liz Lapidus West Tisbury

We're building a home nearby and Molly and Eric welcomed us with warm hearts (and bread!). We're inspired by their commitment to doing things right and equitably. Without workforce housing, communities simply can't thrive. The Glasgows are passionate entrepreneurs and we are truly hopeful that the TTOR will do the right thing.

We feel the best thing that

Alexandra and Will Watkins Boston

We feel the best thing that happened in the last years on MV was the Grey Barn .And it is not just the delicious croissants ,bread or the cheeses , but the whole esthetic feeling of the farm always appropriate to Martha's
Vineyards..
Since years we are supporters of the Trustees of the Preservation and think very highly of their work and we are very surprised by the lack of explanation on their part .