Nantucket Town Government Roundup, May 29 - June 11

It was a quiet two weeks for Nantucket’s local government, but there were still some notable stories as the summer season truly got underway on the island. Parking continues to be one of the biggest thorns in the Select Board’s side early this summer, and the town is closing in on hiring a new Health Director.

• The town is considering a plan to reconstruct the sidewalk along a portion of Pleasant Street. The plan could eliminate some parking spaces. The Select Board has been dealing with parking concerns at nearly every meeting in recent weeks.
• Town Manager Libby Gibson told the Select Board at a governance retreat that the town is interviewing finalists to be the town’s next Health Director and is currently winnowing applicants for Finance Director.

• Gibson also floated the idea of using artificial intelligence to assist with enforcement on-island, which has been an issue for the town. The details of how this would work are unclear.

See the stories the Current has covered in full over the last two weeks below.

• The Select Board has appointed emergency room nurse Kate Garrette and excavation and concrete company owner Ernie Strang to the Board of Health, ousting both incumbents who were seeking reappointment in what will likely be interpreted as a rebuke of how the Board has handled a controversial artificial turf field slated for installation at Vito Capizzo Stadium.
• Select Board vice chair Brooke Mohr will not seek re-election when her term expires in 2028.
• Blue Flag has filed an application with the Planning Board to open the restaurant at the Beachside hotel to the public.
• A new law allows towns to permit bars to stay open an hour later through the end of July, but it’s unclear if the Select Board will opt in to the voluntary provision—or if any local establishments are even interested.
• The Select Board approved a Nantucket Memorial Airport plan to bring in four 7,000-gallon refueling trucks this summer to avoid the jet fuel rationing that has plagued the airport in recent years, as demand continues to grow due to larger private jets visiting the island.
• School Committee chair Laura Gallagher Byrne intends to file a police report after local government critic Meghan Perry offered brownies to the Committee that she claimed contained trace amounts of a laxative in what appears to have been intended as a metaphor about an artificial turf field the Committee approved.