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SBPF drops notice of intent
Public overwhelmingly against group's plan
BY PETER B. BRACE INDEPENDENT WRITER
Citing overwhelming island opposition to its beach rebuilding proposal, the Siasconset Beach Preservation Fund pulled its notice of intent from the Conservation Commission without prejudice on Monday afternoon.
"We heard loud and clear by the vote that people have concerns that make it difficult for us to continue the process and we hope that the selectmen will work with us to hopefully find a compromise," said SBPF Executive Director Cheryl Bartlett.
On April 15, 2,986 voters said no and 490 voted yes on Question Five, one of six nonbinding referendum questions on the local election ballot, on whether Nantucketers supported SBPF's efforts.
Preceding the vote were several weeks of SBPF's public awareness campaign with an independent survey team sending people door to door to help the 8,109 voters understand SBPF's project. At the same time, an opposition group, the Coalition for Responsible Coastal Management, was formed to get out what they believed were the facts of the project.
Cognizant of the difficulty SBPF had in making its decision, D. Anne Atherton, treasurer of the Coalition for Responsible Coastal Management, believes the voters knew the facts well enough to see that SBPF's project posed too many threats to the island's marine environment for the Conservation Commission to support it.
"I think we appreciate SBPF deferring to the will of the voters," Atherton said. "This cannot have been an easy decision for them. The investment of time, energy and money has been enormous, so contemplating stopping at this point in the process cannot be an easy decision."
SBPF's beach nourishment proposal was to mine 1.9 million cubic yards of sand three miles off Sankaty to rebuild three miles of beach from the lighthouse down to Codfish Park and, if necessary, mine more sand at three-to-five-year intervals depending on erosion rates and storm frequency.
But fueling the public's dislike for this proposal and ultimately, the crushing novote, was the fear of island charter and commercial fishermen of the smothering of rocky, cobble-like fish habitat just off these beaches and the eventual loss of revenue due to a combination of the building of the new beach, expected to extend around 200 feet eastward, erosion of it and dredging of the sand for beach rebuilding.
Prior to the vote, the discovery of blue mussel and sea clam beds by local charter boat captains in the borrow site further challenged SBPF, forcing it to consider finding a mollusk-free sand source within its borrow site.
On top of all of that, Article 67, a proposal that the town produce a coastal management plan for the island's east shore while a temporary moratorium prohibits all erosion control through Dec. 31, 2010 or longer, was approved at Town Meeting.
Bartlett said Monday that she and SBPF will work on a compromise palatable enough for islanders and SBPF members. She hopes to discuss concepts of the compromise with the Board of Selectmen at its meeting tonight when the Coalition is on the agenda to discuss the coastal management plan.
"Maybe we can do something structural, but we think that will be difficult to permit," said Bartlett, adding that a revetment is not out of the question. "Maybe there is some hybrid structure and combination of beach nourishment."
Atherton stressed the importance of the town and the island community completing the coastal management plan before any new erosion control measures are permitted and installed.
"I think any discussion of compromise is premature and inappropriate and it should be in the context of a coastal management plan," she said.
For their protection, SBPF can continue to maintain its existing erosion control elements including its bluff terracing installations, jute fiber sand bags and Dune Guard fencing at the toe of the bluff. Bartlett said SBPF would also continue to pursue permits for its cobble habitat pilot mitigation study off Quidnet because, unknown as its erosion abatement future is, the ability to determine that its mitigation measures work could benefit SBPF.
"That is still going through permitting and we're hoping to permit it so that no matter what goes on, we want to be in the best position possible," she said. "Ultimately, there could be a need for some form of mitigation, so we would
want to permit it." I
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