Resident urges town action on moorings; board approves draft annual report
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Summary
A year‑round resident told the Harbor & Shellfish Advisory Board that mooring rentals have become unaffordable and urged reserving some moorings for taxpayers; the board discussed enforcement and the harbor-plan committee as the right venue and approved the board's draft annual report with opportunity for edits.
A year‑round resident raised concerns at the Harbor & Shellfish Advisory Board meeting Dec. 2 about limited access and rising prices in the mooring field operated under contract by Nantucket Moorings.
Anthony (Tony) Bouscarren identified himself, recounted a decade on a wait list for a large-boat mooring and said rental rates have doubled in recent years, making seasonal mooring access prohibitive for many local taxpayers. He asked whether the board could recommend that the town reserve a limited number of moorings at reduced cost for year‑round residents.
Board members explained that the mooring field is administered under a town franchise/contract arrangement and that detailed policy changes would likely proceed through the harbor-plan implementation committee and the select board, with public hearings. Members noted a mooring cap—participants referenced roughly 1,800–2,000 moorings when accounting for property-based allocations—and flagged illegal moorings and enforcement as complicating factors. One board member said the harbor-plan implementation committee would be the appropriate forum for pursuing changes to prioritize resident access.
Separately, Chair presented a rough draft of the Harbor & Shellfish Advisory Board annual report and asked for edits. A motion was made and seconded to approve the draft report with the understanding that board members would provide additional feedback before the final submission to town staff. The motion passed with unanimous recorded votes.
The meeting closed after a brief note about private moorings off Monomoy and a unanimous motion to adjourn at 6:11 p.m.