A long-awaited project to bring improved cell service to the Katama part of Edgartown moves forward this week, following the completion of a lease with telecommunications company AT&T.

Capital Boost Needed at Katama Farm

By MANDY LOCKE

After a superior court judge denied initial efforts by a group of neighbors to evict FARM Institute from Katama Farm, questions remain about the condition of buildings at the town-owned farm.

Katama Farm - nearly 200 acres of sweeping grassland cradled in the middle of the town's densely settled south shore community - has seen better days. Wear and tear brought on by a string of failed operations over the last 24 years have left this facility's barns and silos in a state of disrepair.

Judge Rejects Neighbors' Pleas Over Katama Farm, Supports Current Usage

By JULIA WELLS
Gazette Senior Writer

In a detailed decision that explicitly recognizes the value of a 190-acre, town-owned farm in the Great Plains section of Edgartown, a superior court judge late last week soundly rejected a request from a group of neighbors who are trying to shut down Katama Farm.

Complaining that Edgartown officials turned a deaf ear to their appeals to limit operations at Katama Farm, a group of four Katama residents will go to court Tuesday - pleading with a superior court judge to evict the FARM Institute, newest tenant of the town-owned farm.

The FARM Institute angered many of its new neighbors this week with a plan to hold a two-night summer fundraising concert for as many as 10,000 people and 2,200 cars parked on Katama Farm.

The institute officially moves into the historic town-owned farm tomorrow.

The Edgartown conservation commission, which controls Katama Farm and signed a 10-year lease with the institute for the land only two months ago, will hold a special meeting on Wednesday at 6 p.m. to vote on the request.

Driving down the dirt path leading to the Farm Institute in Katama, a sign urges you to slow down: “Caution, children exploring.” There are the belted Galloway cows grazing in the distance, bales of wrapped hay in the far field, and now there is a fully restored barn to complete the picturesque vista.

This year, the Farm Institute will lose two of its key leaders: brothers Rob and Matthew Goldfarb. Rob, development director, leaves today. Matthew, executive director, will depart at the end of this summer, after being at the reins for five years.

This week, the two sat down to talk about the Katama-based farm, its past and its future. For them, the Farm Institute is a classic community success story, with a beginning, a hardworking present and a future they feel will remain strong, well after their departure.

Construction for a solar array at Katama Farm is set to begin this winter, now that the Edgartown planning board approved a special permit for the project this week, clearing the last hurdle for what will be the Island’s largest installation of photovoltaic panels.