By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

NAPLES — It was a tie, 339-339. 

Because it was a tie, it did not pass.

Naples residents who went to the polls during the June Primary did not approve an ordinance that would have allowed people living in the rural district to have an events barn as a home-based business. 

If the voters in Naples were evenly split on the ordinance, that means that half of the people liked the idea.

ResidentCarrie Maschino-Willwerthasked if town officials would consider drafting another ordinance for the November election.

“Question No. 4 tied this past June 14 at the Election, which ultimately means it failed to pass,” Willwerth said. 

“We are here tonight to ask the select-board to vote to put it on the ballot for November,” she said. “We worked really hard on this project. We thought we had a good proposal working with the town and working with you folks.”

Willwerth made the request during the Naples Board of Selectmen meeting on Monday. 

In the near future, workshops will be scheduled to craft an ordinance governing events venues in the rural district, according to Chairman Jim Grattelo.

The going-forward plan to reconvene the three groups: the selectmen, the Naples Planning Board and the Naples Ordinance Review Committee (ORC). Public input is part of the workshop process.  

“We have time. We have plenty of time before November,” Chairman Grattelo said. “I think reconvening the three committees and discussing it makes sense.” 

Last spring, James and Carrie Willwerth used the citizens petition process to get a version of the events venue ordinance in front of the voters. That was put on the ballot as Question No. 2. It was voted down, 288-395.

The selectmen put forward a second events venue ordinance, which was also a referendum during the Election. That was the one that tied. 

“This is an opportunity for us,” Grattelo said during the discussion. “Obviously, the first question failed by a significant margin. So having a liberal events center ordinance didn’t fly with the people. The compromised ordinance was designed to make sure the first one would fail because we didn’t agree with that.” 

“We are the point now that we need to get back together again. Are there any other compromises that could be made? One could argue that it came so close that it almost passed. The other one could argue, it came close but it failed. What they had before them [the voters] was not overwhelmingly convincing that they were willing to pull the trigger and say yes.”

“This has to go back to workshop. Is there anything else we could do to make it palatable for the town to accept it and for the public to accept it?”

On Monday night, there were some comments from the public prior to the selectmen’s discussion. 

“Because it was so close, I think that the board should reconsider it at this time,” resident Marilyn Thompson said. 

Thompson voted on June 14, she said. 

“Maybe, the rewording of it or changing it so people understand it better and understand what it was about. I think it was confusing because there were two different items about the venue on the actual [ballot]. That might have a been a confusion for some people and that was why it was so close. I’m not sure,” she said. 

“They [the Willwerthes] did work very hard for this. They did petitions. They’ve tried to get this established. I think it is a shame that they worked really hard and it were so close. To be that close and have it almost pass it — that it should have reconsideration by the board,” Thompson said. 

Selectman Colin Brackett spoke. 

“I would like to see it go to workshop for the public. See what people want to see changed to sway them one way or the other,” he said.