Nantucket continues emergency cleanup at Tom Nevers as erosion exposes debris and potential UXO; hearing continued to March 5
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
Town officials described an emergency cleanup at Tom Nevers to remove storm‑exposed construction debris and mitigate public‑safety risks, including potential unexploded ordnance; the commission continued the notice of intent to March 5 pending NHESP comments while work proceeds under an emergency certification.
The Nantucket Conservation Commission on Feb. 19 heard a presentation from the town and its consultants about an emergency cleanup at Tom Nevers, where shoreline erosion has exposed buried construction debris and raised potential unexploded‑ordnance (UXO) safety concerns.
"This work was issued as an emergency cert under 310 CMR 10.06," said Devin Herrick, a wetland scientist with Weston & Sampson, describing Phase 1 of the effort: removing storm‑exposed debris from the beach and coastal bank and establishing short‑term access for equipment. Herrick said the site has a Cold War history as a rocket range and listening station and that the Army Corps had indicated a potential UXO risk; "we have staff who are trained on UXO that are on‑site whenever any sort of earthwork is occurring," he said.
Herrick and town staff described the operational safeguards intended to limit public exposure during cleanup. The plan calls for a temporary access ramp and a sacrificial sand berm placed at the bottom of the ramp to block vehicle access when work is not active. "That sacrificial berm will prevent any access from vehicles," Herrick said; Charlie Polacki, the town's parks and recreation manager, added that the ramp will be blocked with cable and chain and that signs already in place warn the public about explosive hazards.
Commissioners pressed the applicants on public‑access controls and signage. Herrick said the temporary access will be gated at the top and the berm will be matched for color and sediment size so it is compatible with the beach; he stressed that the work is limited to surface cleanup of material that has eroded off the bank and that crews are not "chasing" material into the coastal bank to avoid destabilization.
The town reported quantified impacts for the temporary work area and buffer zones and said it is requesting waivers to local regulations on the grounds that the work is necessary for public safety. Herrick presented the impact figures included in the NOI package for affected resource areas and buffer zones and said a Phase 2 application would address landward material in future filings.
Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program (NHESP) had approved the emergency action earlier, but Herrick said the formal NOI package was still under NHESP review. The commission voted to continue the hearing to its March 5 meeting to allow NHESP to issue final comments; work may proceed now under the emergency certification while the NOI is pending.
The commission did not take final action at the Feb. 19 hearing; the application was continued to March 5 for completion of agency review.