Town Government Roundup, Aug. 29 - Sept. 11

This bi-weekly government roundup includes information on a bus driver shortage and hundreds of millions of dollars in capital projects for the 2027 fiscal year.

• Nantucket Public School enrollment is down about 3 percent over last June, Superintendent Elizabeth Hallett told the School Committee on September 2nd. The school system is also facing a shortage of bus drivers. As of early September, the district only had four bus drivers. This isn’t new for Nantucket: the district has been dealing with bus driver shortages for years.
• The Planning Board unanimously re-elected Dave Iverson as chair and unanimously elected Nat Lowell as vice chair at its meeting on September 8th. Lowell, who has a long history of involvement with Nantucket’s planning regime, recently served as the Nantucket Planning and Economic Development Commission Chair and is currently Nantucket’s representative to the Steamship Authority Port Council.
• The Planning Board also blocked a minor change to a small secondary dwelling near the airport because of a controversial new state law related to accessory dwelling units, prevented local orthopedic surgeon Rocco Monto from opening an office off Old South Road, and requested significant revisions to a proposed subdivision a quarter of a mile down the same road.
• A variety of government officials representing Nantucket testified at the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Revenue hearing on Tuesday in support of a long-sought bill that would authorize Nantucket to impose a small fee on high-value real estate transfers to fund affordable housing initiatives. Speakers included Housing Director Kristie Ferrentella, Superintendent Elizabeth Hallett, Chief of Police Jody Kasper, Land Bank executive director Rachael Freeman, and Nantucket Planning and Economic Development Commission chair Abby De Molina.
• The Airport Commission received an update on PFAS at its meeting on Tuesday, including a new detection in the groundwater at Statue Park, and considered a $22 million fuel farm expansion.
• The Land Bank is still considering deer damage permits for its extensive properties.
• The Select Board on Wednesday approved a timeline for the Annual Town Meeting and updates to Nantucket’s shellfish regulations, and allowed the African Meeting House Work Group to answer questions from the investigator they engaged.
• They also authorized Cultural Heritage Partners, their special counsel for offshore wind, to engage Verus LLC to administer the community claims fund established by the Vineyard Wind blade failure settlement. Verus estimates it will cost them $106,900 to administer the fund.
• The first review of major capital projects for the 2027 fiscal year was also on the agenda on Wednesday. Select Board chair Dawn Hill and vice chair Matt Fee expressed skepticism of a few of the larger items on the list, which includes $10.3 million for the Nantucket Public School football field and track, $8 million to clean up Tom Nevers, $43.3 million for sewer in the Somerset area, and $80 million for a Department of Public Works facility after voters rejected $1.2 million in design funding last spring. Eventually, the requests will also include an unspecified amount of money for town employee housing. The Board seemed wary of asking for too much from voters this spring, especially given current economic conditions.
• An existing moratorium on septic variances in nitrogen-sensitive areas was extended until November at a special Board of Health meeting on Wednesday. The Board looks poised to impose significantly stricter regulations on septic systems in some parts of the island, which could reduce the number of bedrooms property owners can build.
• Another house on Sheep Pond Road will be moved back from the rapidly eroding beach after the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) approved a variance for the relocation within zoning setbacks on Thursday.
• The ZBA looks poised to increase its $450 application fee. Staff proposed a jump to $750, but some ZBA members suggested making it as high as $1500. No decisions were made on Thursday, and the issue will be back for further discussion soon.
• At the end of their meeting, the ZBA unanimously re-elected all of its officers: Susan McCarthy will remain as chair, John Brescher will stay on as vice chair, and Elisa Allen will continue to serve as secretary.
• The town’s expansive Surfside Area Transportation Improvements Project began this month. Expect repeated road closures in the Surfside Area throughout the construction period.
• By October 1st, National Grid is replacing all of Nantucket’s electric meters with so-called “smart meters,” which provide near real-time energy data, helping customers manage usage and reduce bills, according to a release from the town’s communication office. In addition, the communication office shared information about a hazardous waste and paint collection day scheduled for September 13th.