Nantucket committee advances draft harbor plan; public asks for better access, enforcement and funding

The Harbor Plan Update Committee on Thursday reviewed a near-final draft of an updated harbor plan that the group spent about two and a half years preparing and invited public comment before sending a municipal draft to the select board and then to the state for approval. "We've been working on this, I don't know, over 2 years now? 2 and a half," said Linda Williams, chair of the Harbor Plan Update Committee, as the meeting opened. Committee members and consultants summarized the plan's goals—water quality, natural resources, public access, commercial and recreational fishing, commercial waterfronts, boating and navigation, coastal resilience and administration and coordination—and asked the public to submit detailed comments before the comment period ends on August 31. The plan, a 131-page draft prepared with consultants from the Urban Harbors Institute at UMass Boston and technical support from the Woods Hole Group and Coastal Zone Management, would replace the town's 2009 plan and aims to be state-approved to increase weight in state licensing and permitting decisions. "What we're here to do tonight isn't to necessarily go through the harbor plan page by page," Jeff Carlson, director of the Natural Resources Department, told attendees, urging oral and written public input and noting that the committee will refine the draft before formal municipal and state hearings. Nut graf: The draft consolidates two years of committee work into measurable objectives and recommendations, but residents and boaters at the meeting pressed for clearer commitments on enforcement, funding and practical access measures—particularly for older and mobility-impaired residents—and for continued protection and monitoring of eelgrass and other natural resources. Key points and next steps - Process and status: Kim Starbuck of the Urban Harbors Institute and…