The Greenbank Farm community is still reeling from the 2-1 vote by the Port of Coupeville last week to terminate negotiations with the Greenbank Farm Management Group.

“Last week’s action from the port came as a shock,” said Judy Feldman, executive director for the management group.

“Tenants were just as blindsided.”

The management group’s next move is contingent on how the port decides to move forward, Feldman said.

Meanwhile, the management group is holding a public meeting 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, July 15, at the farm.

“Primarily, we just want to give people basic information,” Feldman said. “When there’s heightened fear, things tend to get blown out of proportion.”

“We want to provide the community with a platform to ask questions. People left (last week) with a lot of concerns and a lot of questions.”

Feldman said the reasons cited by port commissioners at the meeting are not based on information the management group sees.

“Those things just aren’t consistent with what we’re understanding,” Feldman said. “Our understanding is not going to save money.”

David Day, executive director for the Port of Coupeville, said Monday the motion was a bold move by Carr. Since the meeting, said Day, most of the response the port received is positive toward the decision.

And while there is no plan, or even framework in place, Day said he is looking into ideas on how to proceed and will hopefully have something to present at next month’s meeting.

“The port has a duty to look at as many opportunities and options it can to move forward,” Day said.

“There’s a lot of stuff left up in the air.”

“We have some time and there is some money to work with,” he added.

The port and management group will honor its current contract through the end of the year. On Jan. 1, 2016 the port will assume all management control.

This comes after months of negotiations between both parties. A draft contract was being reviewed by lawyers and was expected to be ready in August.