Nantucket roads committee presses for clearer role in coastal-resilience planning, reviews Washington Street options

The Nantucket Roads and Right of Way Committee, meeting by Zoom on March 18, discussed how the committee should participate in ongoing coastal-resilience work and reviewed three design alternatives being considered for the Washington Street/Francis Street corner.

"I'm a little disappointed. I attended the information session this morning on Easy Street and as early as I can tell, I was the only member of the committee that was listening to it," said Lee Saperstein, committee member, criticizing limited committee involvement. Saperstein urged the group to seek more formal opportunities for input into town planning efforts.

The committee’s discussion focused on the Washington Street work group’s proposals to protect the main access into downtown from sea-level impacts. "We have proposed 3 different possibilities for the sidewalk," said Alan Reinhardt, committee member and participant on the Washington Street subcommittee. Reinhardt described options ranging from an elevated walkway with a bicycle path to a raised road or wall, and said one major design consideration is preserving harbor views for people approaching downtown.

Members clarified that Easy Street is a separate project from Washington Street, with different property-ownership and design issues. "That's a whole different project," Reinhardt said. Committee members urged integrating designs where projects abut so water does not bypass one protection and inundate another.

Pedestrian access to Francis Street Beach was another focus. The group discussed historical vehicle-access language in the existing lease for the area and emphasized that current redesigns are prioritizing pedestrian access. "That's exactly what we've been concentrating on. . . . they all are designed around pedestrian access," Reinhardt said of the three Washington Street designs.

Committee members raised concerns about the Pleasant Street bicycle/pedestrian experiment, reporting that the temporary pedestrian/bike corridor has rough pavement and narrow passage, which has pushed cyclists back into traffic. "The pedestrian bicycle portion of it is almost impassable," said a committee member, describing the trial as not showing how a smooth, permanent design would function.

Several members, led by Phil (first-name only in the record), pressed for action and better access to state permitting records under Chapter 91 (the state waterways/public-ways statute cited in the meeting). "There is a gaping, gaping hole regarding Chapter 91. No one understands it," Phil said, adding that repository and follow-up work are lacking. Committee members said Jeff Carlson (town staff) had previously presented on Chapter 91 and that an NCTV-recorded session exists, but they described a lack of a searchable public follow-up or consolidated list of existing licenses on Nantucket.

Members discussed practical follow-ups the committee could take: compiling a single punch list of outstanding items (Stone Alley, walkway/Bluff Walk access, Madaket public-way monuments), sending the committee’s original charge from the selectmen to clarify authority, and offering to assist town staff with compiling Chapter 91 licenses where staffing is limited. Alan Reinhardt offered to contact Jeff Carlson and report back.

Town staff member Bob Virovski attended and confirmed he would follow up on items he could, and members agreed to send items to the committee chair for collation. The committee also noted a second public session on the Washington/Francis Street proposals was scheduled for the evening of March 18.

Votes at the meeting were procedural. A motion to accept the February minutes, moved by Alan Reinhardt and seconded by Rick Atherton, was approved by roll call (Alan Reinhardt, Lee Saperstein and Rick Atherton recorded as "aye" on the audio). A motion to adjourn, seconded by Lee Saperstein and Rick Atherton, passed by roll call with recorded "aye" votes from Alan Reinhardt, Lee Saperstein, Rick Atherton, Bill Smith and Bill Greeter; the meeting ended at 5:12 p.m.

The committee asked staff to circulate the current committee charge and a consolidated list of outstanding right-of-way items before the next meeting, which will be held in April in hybrid format. Members said they intend to continue monitoring the harbor-plan recommendations and to press for clearer, actionable recommendations that include verbs ("shall/ will") and implementation oversight.

The meeting record shows recurring topics the committee plans to pursue: resolving Chapter 91 access and licensing follow-up, finalizing pedestrian access design for Francis Street Beach, documenting takings/potential takings (Wind Street, Friendship Lane and others), and repairing or replacing deteriorated public-way monuments at Madaket.