Nantucket Town Government Roundup, February 13 - February 26

As school break draws to a close, this edition of the Current’s government roundup recaps the last two weeks in local government, including new detections of PFAS in private drinking water wells far above state standards

- PFAS detections on Nantucket continue to stack up. The Board of Health received a report from environmental contamination administrator Andrew Shapero, during which he reviewed several detections above the Massachusetts maximum contaminant level, including a 347 parts per trillion detection on Fulling Mill Road that is nearly four times higher than the state’s imminent hazard threshold. Another home on Fulling Mill Road also exceeded the imminent hazard threshold, bringing the total number of homes on the road with detections above the threshold to at least three.

- The Select Board adopted an update to its guiding master plan.

- Amid Nantucket’s school break and one of the worst winter storms in recent memory, many of Nantucket’s governmental boards cancelled meetings this week.

And here are the stories we covered in full over the last two weeks:

- After a historic cottage in Sconset was demolished without a permit, the Historic District Commission levied fines against the homeowners

- The Capital Program Committee recommended against several major capital expenditures, including the proposed new Our Island Home

- The Select Board unanimously denied an appeal of a Historic District Commission decision that conditioned approval for a front-facing solar panel array at 65 Polpis Road on the relocation of an existing driveway, and continued an appeal on the denial of a deer fence and grates

- A new rental preservation program run by the Affordable Housing Trust will offer homeowners up to $18,000 to keep renting their homes long-term.

- The Harbor and Shellfish Advisory Board and shellfish and aquatic resources manager Tara Riley have agreed to raise the bushel limit for commercial scallopers from six to seven for the remainder of the season.

- After over eight months of hearings, the Board of Health has approved three septic systems for an elder housing complex at 13 Woodland Drive.

- For the first time in its history, the Nantucket Regional Transit Authority will be managed by a new company after opting for the international corporation Keolis over long-time regional operator Valley Transportation Services of Massachusetts.

- After years of at times heated debate, the Nantucket Planning and Economic Development Commission has reached a compromise with citizen petitioner Hillary Hedges Rayport. Negotiations collapsed last month, but resumed under pressure from other governmental boards, resulting in a deal that should prevent a conflict between the two parties on the floor of Town Meeting this spring.

- More candidates have pulled papers for Nantucket’s local elections, including Nantucket Stage Company clerk Jennie Cook, who is running for School Committee.