Work group approves expanded coastal and stormwater studies, allocates $15,000 to SCAPE

The Washington Street Collaborative Work Group voted to approve revised scopes of work for the Francis Street/ Washington Street beach improvement project and to allocate about $15,000 from a Nantucket Land Bank grant to complete an expanded SCAPE task.

The approval came after a presentation summarizing public feedback collected during the project’s second virtual open house and after consultants described added coastal and stormwater modeling that will inform schematic design. The group’s approval will be forwarded to the Select Board for formal contract authorization at its July 23 meeting.

The project team presented findings from Open House No. 2 and an updated schedule. Laura (SCAPE designer) said the public engagement showed community priorities centered on “reducing flood risk to sustain the long term use of Washington Street,” improving natural systems, and creating universally accessible waterfront spaces. She said two conceptual alternatives — the “dune swoop,” a curvilinear dune-and-boardwalk design, and the more angular “beach overlook” — were refined from earlier work and posted for public comment. “The dune swoop came in slightly higher at 3.58 with the beach overlook at 3.15,” she said, summarizing…