Who Pays To Relocate Baxter Road?

To the editor: The taxpayers of Nantucket will not pay the multi-million-dollar cost of relocating northern Baxter Road, and related infrastructure. Just as in the Sheep Pond Road area, the cost will be paid by the property owners who directly benefit from the relocation.

Such cost recovery will be accomplished through the levying of a special tax called a betterment. While the tax base will pay for the initial costs, those costs will be recovered through betterments.

In the case of northern Baxter Road, perhaps not all the costs will be recovered by betterments, but a large percentage will. The costs not bettered might be those that benefit the public, not just the private property owners. One example could be the possible re-establishment of the Bluff Walk from Bayberry Lane north to the lighthouse in the current Baxter Road layout (owned by the Town).

As the community considers the Baxter Road situation, it is essential that we all understand the facts. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Burton Spruce Balkind
President, Nantucket Coastal Conservancy