Town Government News Roundup

The Current’s new government roundups are intended to summarize important developments in local government. These roundups include synopses of updates we have not covered elsewhere, as well as brief notes about longer stories with links to our primary coverage.

• Nantucket Public School administrators presented results from the Measures of Academic Progress test at a School Committee meeting on July 22nd. The results show Nantucket lagging behind in reading, but doing well in math.
• The Community Preservation Committee held its annual public meeting on July 23rd, highlighting the over $55 million it has handed out since its inception. Submissions for the next round of grants are open until September 5th.
• Several high-profile cases involving the Summer House, the Sconset Beach Preservation Fund, and enforcement actions against the owners of 14 Plover Lane for clear-cutting their property without a permit were continued at the Conservation Commission’s meeting on July 24th. These cases have been on the Commission’s agenda for some time, but have been repeatedly continued. The Commission also unanimously re-elected its officers, chair Seth Engelbourg and vice chair Linda Williams.
• The Select Board met last Wednesday, covering a broad ground including a contentious debate over how to handle future bylaws related to short-term rentals and the possibility of a Fall Special Town Meeting to address them, the creation of new affordable housing units, a controversy over a speed bump that was supposed to be a hump, and an update on the service provided by the Steamship Authority.
• At the meeting, long-time Planning Board member and former Nantucket Planning and Economic Development Commission (NP&EDC) chair Barry Rector received a letter of recognition from the Massachusetts House of Representatives for over 25 years of service to the Nantucket community.
• The Select Board made several appointments for uncontested seats on local boards Wednesday during the second round of the annual appointment process. While uncontested appointments are usually voted unanimously by acclamation, Wednesday’s vote was 4-1, with Select Board member Brooke Mohr dissenting. Mohr told the Current she was opposed to one of the candidates, but did not specify which one. While the large majority of the appointments were for relatively minor groups that rarely generate controversy, the Select Board did re-appoint Jim Mondani, who has been an outspoken critic of the Select Board’s handling of the 40B Surfside Crossing Development, as an alternate to the Zoning Board of Appeals.
• The Select Board also held a press conference this Tuesday, blasting Vineyard Wind for what they claim is the offshore wind company’s failure to live up to its contractual obligations in the so-called “Good Neighbor Agreement.” They issued a series of 15 demands, setting a two-week deadline for the company to reply. The press conference came after several Select Board members made similar statements at the Civic League’s annual summer forum on July 21st.
• A draft of the Town’s new Harbors Action Plan Update was released Monday, with a public meeting scheduled for August 14th at 5:00 P.M. in the community room at 4 Fairgrounds. The Town is looking for feedback on the draft, which has been delayed for over five years. “The purpose of the Nantucket and Madaket Harbors Action Plan is to serve as a roadmap for the Town and the State as they make decisions relative to the town’s waterways and shoreline,” the introduction to the draft reads in part. “A state-approved municipal harbor plan establishes the community’s objectives, standards, and policies for guiding public and private use of land and water in the planning area.”
• The NP&EDC elected new officers Monday, unanimously selecting Planning Board alternate Abby De Molina as chair and Conservation Commissioner Mike Missurelli as vice chair. Planning Board member John Kitchener initially nominated his Planning Board colleague, Hillary Hedges Rayport, as chair and then vice chair, but sensing little support from the rest of the NP&EDC, aside from Land Bank Commission chair Kristina Jelleme, she declined both nominations. Rayport has historically been a strong critic of the NP&EDC, advocating for sweeping reforms to the organization. She was narrowly elected to the Planning Board last May over real estate broker Liza Hatton.
• On Tuesday, the Historic District Commission requested revisions to a proposed development at 1 Toombs Court that would see six buildings on the property, currently the home of Espresso to Go. A denser version of the development received significant pushback from the Planning Board in May, but it was redesigned as an “approval not needed” subdivision in June, meaning it complies with the area's zoning and doesn't need a special permit.