Select Board signals support for island‑wide noise bylaw amendments after months of civic outreach

The Nantucket Select Board agreed Aug. 20 to move forward, in principle, with a town‑sponsored warrant article that would simplify and standardize the noise bylaw across the island and make it easier to enforce.

The proposal — drafted by the Sconset Civic Association and reviewed by the Nantucket Civic League — aims to eliminate a patchwork of differing start and stop times across historic and nonhistoric districts, separate heavy construction equipment from lighter tools and landscaping equipment in the rules, and adopt uniform hours island‑wide.

Tom Laughlin, vice president of the Sconset Civic Association, told the board the current bylaws are inconsistent and difficult to apply. “Peak season rules are different from the non‑peak,” he said, and that complexity makes enforcement challenging. The civic group presented two versions: one that permits limited work Sundays after noon, and another that bans most Sunday construction activity and federal holidays.

Speakers at the meeting included builders and landscapers who warned of costs from shifting start times. Christina Jelamine of Toscana Corporation said an 8:00 a.m. winter start would be “devastating to our industry,” noting lost billable hours across a season. Civic leaders replied that their outreach included those stakeholders and that a compromise start time of 7:30 a.m. had emerged in discussions.

Board members debated a seasonal approach tied to daylight. Commissioner Brooke Moore suggested selecting explicit seasonal dates informed by sunrise and sunset patterns rather than the current fragmented calendar; the board asked staff to research a date range and return with a recommendation.

The board also favored an island‑wide approach to simplify enforcement and recommended the article be sponsored by the Select Board — which will allow town counsel and the moderator to review the proposal and give the public additional opportunities for comment before town meeting. Chair Matt and other members asked that the draft language include enforcement mechanisms and clear exemptions for emergency, public‑safety and essential municipal services.

No final bylaw text was approved; staff will work with the civic groups, police and town counsel to prepare a draft that reflects the board’s direction (including tentative 7:30 a.m. start times and a Sunday noon‑to‑6 p.m. window in the compromise version) and will present it for subsequent board review and scheduling on the warrant.