The Nantucket Conservation Commission issued a time-limited enforcement order authorizing the delivery and placement of compatible sand from an excavation at 64 Baxter Road to the Hooke’s Hollow geotube project. The action was requested by the Sankaty Beach Preservation Fund (SBPF) and town staff, who told the commission the material would otherwise be removed from the island.

SBPF representatives and counsel described the sand as medium-to-coarse material from the same general bluff area; counsel said sieves, grain-size analysis and Munsell soil-color data support compatibility with the parent beach and bank sediments. “We believe that we have compatible sand,” counsel said, and the SBPF agreed to provide Munsell color data and additional documentation to staff. Town Natural Resources staff and a select-board representative had recommended the placement to advance shoreline resilience efforts.

Because an existing state-filed order for a nearby permit (SE 48-3736) is subject to appeal, commission staff recommended and counsel confirmed a separate, limited enforcement order would permit emergency-like placement of nourishment without amending or reopening other final orders. Town counsel advised that the commission can proceed with a distinct enforcement order with adequate conditions and that such a limited order does not require an additional town meeting license.

The enforcement order the commission adopted includes these principal conditions: imported material must match bank/beach samples for Munsell color, grain size and angularity; SBPF must provide original laboratory results and Munsell comparisons to commission staff prior to placement; every truck delivery must be logged and photographed; staff must receive an as-built narrative and photographic monitoring report within 30 days of completion documenting delivery and cover volumes; and all work on the ramp or seaward face must use approved vehicle types and receive Natural Resources Department sign-off.

Commissioners discussed logistics for the temporary ramp material and asked that staff monitor deliveries; they also agreed it would be useful to photograph placement and to require a post-installation report documenting the final coverage and volume placed. Chair Seth Engelberg directed Will (conservation staff) to sign and issue the enforcement order expeditiously so the contractor could retain the material on-island; the commission voted unanimously to authorize the order with the stated conditions, and staff will ratify the action at the May 22 meeting.

Why it matters: about 3,000–4,000 cubic yards of compatible sand would be retained on-island and used to both rebuild a temporary ramp for machinery access and to cover geotubes that have been installed to stabilize Hooke’s Hollow. The placement supports short-term littoral input and avoids off-island transport of excavation material.

What happens next: SBPF must submit the requested laboratory and Munsell data to commission staff before placement commences; all deliveries and daily photo monitoring must be recorded and a post-installation report submitted within 30 days of completion. Staff will sign the enforcement order immediately and return it for ratification on May 22.