Select Board hears divided public testimony on proposed noise bylaw; proponents seek town-meeting vote

The Select Board on Monday heard more than an hour of public testimony about a proposed update to Nantucket's noise bylaw that proponents say would simplify varying peak/non‑peak hours, improve enforceability and clarify seasonal start times.

Carol Greenberg, who has led outreach for the proposal, told the board she revised the draft to account for Daylight Saving Time and recommended clear start times across the island to make enforcement easier for police and clearer for residents and contractors. "Right now, nobody understands what the rules or regulations are," she said, citing the current mix of historic/nonhistoric zones and differing dates.

Neighborhood associations represented by the Nantucket Civic League backed the proposal as a way to bring "much needed peace" and make enforcement practical, while trade representatives — landscapers, trucking companies and construction contractors — warned the board the draft would create operational hardship. Matthew Polka, a landscaper, said some plants and materials arrive by long tractor-trailer and are unloaded on Sundays for same‑day return trips on the Steamship Authority schedule; he said a strict morning curfew would make those operations illegal without an exemption. Several other speakers described how seasonal ferry schedules and agricultural deliveries can require early work or Sunday unloading.

Golf course representatives urged explicit exemptions for turf-management operations. "Golf courses are generally exempted in many other towns," Sarah Alger said, asking that the bylaw protect routine morning mowing and early‑day maintenance tied to tee times; Mark Lucas and Kevin Dale (counsel for Sankaty Head) suggested electric mowers and decibel monitoring could be part of mitigation when neighbors are nearby.

Police Chief Jody Casper later briefed the board on parallel enforcement priorities for e‑bikes and multiuse-path safety, but noted that vehicle-starting and permitted deliveries are not the primary focus of the proposed noise bylaw. She also emphasized that class‑3 throttle‑driven e‑bikes capable of speeds above 20 mph fall outside the state's e‑bike definition and carry different legal requirements, including age and licensing limits.

Multiple residents asked the board to allow the proposal to go to annual town meeting so voters can weigh the tradeoffs; others asked the board to delay until stakeholders and impacted businesses can craft exemptions or notification procedures for Steamship Authority deliveries and Sunday operations. Board members said the current discussion was intended to solicit feedback before deciding whether to place the article on the 2026 annual town meeting warrant.

Provenance: Noise bylaw outreach and public comment (tc 00:58:06–01:21:00).