2025) The Nantucket Conservation Foundation  announced plans Monday to build The Milestone Center a project that advances its mission of conservation scientific research and community engagement while also providing housing for its staff Located within its Milestone Cranberry Bog property the Milestone Center will serve as “a hub for research environmental education and community engagement supporting our broadened scope of conservation work,” said Cormac Collier president and CEO of the 62-year-old conservation organization “The Nantucket Conservation Foundation is proud to invest in facilities that will significantly benefit the community The new center will provide dedicated lab space and educational facilities for NCF staff visiting research fellows and island partners.” Given the island’s shortage of affordable housing the Foundation is also building employee housing for its year-round staff and visiting research partners Increasing housing capacity will help to alleviate the island’s housing pressures and guarantee reliable affordable living options for Foundation personnel now and in the years to come The Milestone Center will be located off Milestone Road adjacent to the Foundation's actively farmed cranberry bogs The Foundation has engaged SMP Architects and Viridian Landscape Studio and anticipates an 18-month construction period The research and education center’s main-level floor area will be 10,000 square feet and the building is designed to optimize functional space by incorporating below-grade and external programming features the building will feature LEED certification an innovative wastewater treatment system and native landscaping all contributing to its sustainability and environmental responsibility The housing plans are focused in the Milestone area as well as at existing Foundation residences Both the center and the housing will be fully donor funded The Foundation looks forward to engaging with the  community throughout the planning process and will share more details as the project progresses Stakeholder engagement sessions are scheduled to take place over the coming months the Foundation has been at the forefront of stewarding and protecting Nantucket’s ecosystems to be a resource for all Nantucket residents and visitors,” Collier said “The Milestone Center is a natural evolution of our work providing stable and secure housing options for our employees creating space to enhance our research capabilities and educational outreach and remaining steadfast in our mission of land stewardship 17 miles of coastal shoreline and 100 miles of trails NCF is committed to ensuring that any infrastructure aligns with the organization’s conservation values The Milestone Center is thoughtfully designed to harmonize with its surroundings while minimizing environmental and visual impact.” the Nantucket Conservation Foundation conserves Nantucket’s rare and significant natural resources and engages in impactful ecological research to inform resource management and further our knowledge of Nantucket’s unique ecosystems and species Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Have the latest local news delivered every morning so you don't miss out on updates Receive our newspaper electronically with the e-Edition email Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account The Whalers softball team earlier this season 2025) The softball team snapped a five-game losing streak Sunday with a 22-6 mercy-rule victory over rival Martha's Vineyard "Everything finally clicked," coach Grace-Anne Tornovish said "Everything we've been working on offensively and defensively like making good plays defensively when we need to and hitting the ball hard so it was nice to get a win and show everybody what we're capable of." Nantucket (2-8) recorded back-to-back fly outs at the plate to lead off the top of the first before the Whalers rallied to score seven runs Nantucket scored a run in every inning except the second with the Whalers adding five in the fifth and five in the sixth to complete the mercy-rule Lola Caron homered and tripled for Nantucket Seren Cristler struck out seven batters on the mound for the Whalers Nantucket will look to win back-to-back games for the first time this season when the Whalers go on the road Wednesday to face Sturgis East The Storm beat Nantucket 14-5 in the first match-up of the season on-island April 11 Email notifications are only sent once a day 2025) The girls lacrosse team pulled away in the second half for a 14-7 win over Martha's Vineyard after taking a three-goal lead into halftime "It wasn't our strongest (game)," coach Jami Lower said "I don't know quite what's going on right now but we're definitely making a lot of silly basic mistakes that we shouldn't be making at this point in the season." but I think it was closer than it needed to be and the girls need to refocus going into what is a huge week this week." Dylan Damian led the attack for Nantucket (6-2) with four goals followed by Mayson Lower with two and Claire Genthner Louisa Beni and Grace Hanlon with one each "Mayson had a great game and Maya Johnson was phenomenal on defense I think she had four or five caused turnovers and carried the ball up," Lower said "Carley Ray is also starting to show herself more and more She's on the circle and she'll get every ground ball I think the three of them really played their game They're fighters and they are the most composed in tough situations so I think those three really stepped up today." The Whalers have a busy week ahead with games Tuesday at Barnstable Thursday at home against Nauset and Saturday at Falmouth 2025) The boys and girls tennis teams both secured wins in dominant fashion Friday over Rising Tide 5-0 In the boys match at Great Harbor Yacht Club seventh grader Toni Todorov made the first varsity appearance of his career First singles Nik Krastev and second singles Boyan Kalpazanov also won in straight sets 6-0 The first doubles team of Forbes Keating and Fuller Holland were nearly just as dominant At second doubles Thomas Schroeder and Alec Anguelov won the first set 6-2 but lost the next 7-6 to send the match to a tiebreaker In the girls match at Eel River Beach Club in Plymouth Nantucket won four out of five matches in straight sets Andrea Bunlerssak returned for the Whalers at second singles Vicky Todorova dominated at second singles with a 6-1 First singles was the only match to require a tiebreaker with Nantucket's Elis Vieth winning the first set 6-3 and losing the second 6-4 before rebounding to close out the match with a 7-2 win in the tiebreaker At first doubles Sara Dussault and Sutton Lebrecht won 6-2 6-1 and at second doubles Presy Penkova and Gabby Fee won 6-1 will play Sturgis West on the road Wednesday Town Meeting voters stand as town moderator Sarah Alger gavels proceedings to order The crowd files in to the Nantucket High School Auditorium before Saturday's Annual Town Meeting 2025: 4:31 p.m.) Nantucket's 2025 Annual Town Meeting is set to resume at 5 p.m including all four short-term rental proposals after adjourning Saturday following nearly nine hours of discussion and debate Voters on Saturday narrowly shot down spending up to $134 million on a new town-run nursing home on the campus of the Sherburne Commons adult-living community off South Shore Road rejected the $14 million appropriation for town employee housing on Waitt Drive and $1.2 million for the design of a new Department of Public Works facility at 1 Shadbush Road or 188 Madaket Road and approved the $140.6 million municipal operating budget Voters packed the Nantucket High School auditorium for day one of the 2025 Annual Town Meeting the consulting firm contracted by the town to be the Owner’s Project Manager of the Our Island Home project The Road to Town Meeting Nantucket's annual exercise in citizen democracy with the Our Island Home debate and a handful of short-term vacation rental regulations topping the 104-article warrant The Inquirer and Mirror is your Annual Town Meeting headquarters We will provide a running update of the proceedings Voters called 39 of the 104 articles for debate all the short-term rental proposals and the Our Island Home nursing home expenditure Town Meeting resumes tonight with Clifford Williams' citizen's petition to rezone the property at 44 Skyline Drive from LUG-2 to R-20 • Article 61: Voters closed out Saturday's session by 294-161 rejecting a citizen's petition by Stephen Maury to moving a portion of 13 Woodland Drive from two-acre LUG-2 zoning to the more dense R-20 zoning district has already approved a five-lot subdivision on the entire 13 Woodland Drive property with the potential for 15 dwellings Maury's proposal is to subdivide the property into nine lots with a total of nine dwellings subject to private deed restrictions prohibiting further development • Article 57: Voters 312-156 rejected a change in zoning for 32 Appleton Road from R-20 to the more dense R-10 zoning district • Article 56: Voters 418-30 removed language pertaining to an already-expired moratorium on marijuana dispensaries from the town's zoning code • Voters rejected 401-118 a motion by John Vecchio to take the short-term rental Articles 66-69 out of order and begin debate just after 3:50 p.m They then moved to the next article called in order • Article 43: Voters 424-84 approved a proposal by Hillary Hedges Rayport to refer for further study a change in the  zoning code aligning the town's definition of accessory dwelling unit with the state's new definition that grew out of its new housing law • Article 42: Voters approved 387-104 a temporary moratorium on the development of tertiary dwellings • Article 38: Voters 502-25 rejected a proposal to change the zoning of 7 from Residential Old Historic to the less restrictive Commercial Downtown • Article 31: Voters 464-31 took no action on a change in zoning for 2 Miacomet Ave and 51 Surfside Road from RC-2 to the more restrictive R-5 • Article 88: Voters 401-99 approved the renewal of a home-rule petition seeking legislative approval for regulations regarding fertilizer use on Nantucket Article 30: Voters 401-99 rejected a citizen’s petition by Emma Raith to appropriate $300,000 to help launch a teenage recreation center pilot program for Nantucket High School students • Article 29: Voters 413-89 rejected a citizen's petition by Toby Brown to rescind the unused borrowing authority of the Nantucket Affordable Housing Trust stemming from a $6.5 million appropriation at the 2023 Annual Town Meeting The proposal is "legally defective" and an approval would "mean nothing," town counsel John Giorgio said • Article 28: Voters 363-148 appropriated $5 million in Community Preservation Committee funding for the Nantucket Affordable Housing Trust • Article 26: Voters 451-52 approved $3.4 million in Community Preservation Committee funding for open-space acquisition historic preservation and affordable housing projects including $957,770 for the restoration and preservation of St $699,000 for the exterior restoration of the Folger Block buildings on Main Street $380,000 for the Nantucket Interfaith Council's housing and rental-assistance program and $316,000 for the expansion of the Nantucket Racquet Sports Association's courts off Nobadeer Farm Road The votes followed the overwhelming defeat of a pair of proposed amendments by Toby Brown to remove $350,000 for affordable housing initiatives and $83,950 for a rain garden at the Nantucket Lighthouse School • Article 16: Voters 362-112 approved $35.2 million in capital spending by the town's enterprise funds including $17.8 million in Nantucket Memorial Airport projects $2.4 million in solid waste projects and $8.7 million in water department projects • Article 15: Voters 339-43 appropriated $66 million to fund the operating budgets of the town's enterprise funds solid waste and stormwater departments and Nantucket Water Department Voters 287-49 approved $6.9 million for the construction of a Tom Nevers Road bike path after Brook Gibbs withdrew his call of the article • Article 13: Voters narrowly rejected spending up to $134 million on a new Our Island Home nursing home on the campus of the Sherburne Commons adult living community off South Shore Road after approving 525-219 a proposed amendment by Select Board member Dawn Hill Holdgate updating to $116 million the amount of spending to be appropriated on top of the $8.5 million already approved and including language allowing the town to accept donations • Article 12: Voters 370-368 rejected spending $1.2 million for the design of a new Department of Public Works facility at 1 Shadbush Road or 188 Madaket Road The vote came after several residents spoke against the proposed Shadbush Road location arguing that building a DPW facility there would preclude the property being used as a shooting range under the oversight of the Nantucket Hunting Association which Town Meeting voters have approved on at least two previous occasions Nantucket Hunting Association president Steve Holdgate said the organization and the town are working together and a joint project can be developed on the site Former Select Board member Bob DeCosta also questioned the size of the proposed building including 15,000 square feet of administrative space an 11,000-square-foot garage and 29,000 square feet of interior vehicle storage • Article 11: Voters rejected spending $14 million for the construction of municipal-employee housing on town-owned property on Waitt Drive While the majority of voters favored the spending 432-317 The town is ultimately hoping to build nine housing units on three  Waitt Drive lots • Article 10: Voters approved 624-122 $32.1 million in capital spending after rejecting 573-186 a proposed amendment by Toby Brown to remove the town purchase of the property at 9 Goldfinch Drive for municipal employee housing The approved spending includes $5.5 million for improvements maintenance and upkeep of town buildings and facilities $5.1 million for the creation of a “living shoreline” along Sesachacha Pond for coastal resilience purposes; $3.2 million in road and sidewalk improvements; $2 million in dredging work; $2 million for the Goldfinch Drive property and $1.9 million for improvements to Pleasant Street and Williams Lane • Article 9: Voters 707-42 approved $650,000 in health and human services funding after rejecting 679-60 a proposed amendment by Brook Gibbs that would have stripped $19,000 from Martha's Vineyard Community Services for care of the disabled on Nantucket; and $5,000 for Sharing Kindness which provides grief support to island residents • Article 8: Voters approved 630-97 the $140.6 million municipal operating budget after rejecting 596-134 a proposed amendment by Toby Brown that would have stripped $7.8 million in funding from the Affordable Housing Trust • Article 7: Voters 664-58 approved the personnel compensation plan for temporary and seasonal municipal employees over the objection of Select Board candidate Brook Gibbs who called the pay – including $32 an hour for call firefighters and $35.50 for per diem licensed practical nurses at Our Island Home "ridiculously low." • Article 3: Voters 655-61 reallocated $11.9 million in funding from prior years' appropriations to new or ongoing projects including $5.8 million in general fund transfers $5.7 million in airport enterprise fund transfers and $422,000 in solid-waste enterprise fund transfers They rejected 533-191 a proposed amendment by Thomas Barada to earmark $1.8 million of the general fund money for islandwide road maintenance instead of Lovers Lane reconstruction work • Prior to taking up debate on the called articles voters in a non-binding "sense of the meeting" expressed the desire 477-251 to retain Open Town Meeting instead of switching to a town council form of government • Voters approved by more than the required four-fifths vote all the uncalled articles in accordance with their Finance Committee recommendations and took no action on a proposal to ban pickleball courts on residential properties islandwide Alger gaveled the meeting before a packed auditorium to order at 8:32 a.m followed by a moment of silence in memory of those who passed away since the last Town Meeting She then announced Beth Ann Meehan as the recipient of the Dr Stay tuned at the conclusion of the meeting for a full recap and pick up the May 8 Inquirer and Mirror for additional coverage and analysis Thee were plenty of empty seats in the Nantucket High School auditorium as the second day of the 2025 Annual Town Meeting got underway Monday evening 2025: 5:24 p.m.) Nantucket's 2025 Annual Town Meeting resumed at 5 p.m after adjourning Saturday following nearly nine hours of discussion Monday's debate began with about 620 voters in the building • Article 62: Voters 507-113 Clifford Williams' citizen's petition to rezone the property at 44 Skyline Drive from LUG-2 to R-20 Williams said his intention was to build eight houses of 1,200- to 1,500 square feet in size then sell the property to the Affordable Housing Trust for 25 percent less than fair market value Opponents argued the increase in density was too much for a neighborhood with no real sewer or water infrastructure while proponents cited the town's dire need for additional attaibable housing 2025: 10:36 p.m.) Town Meeting voters on Monday shot down all four short-term rental proposals including one that would have allowed STRs islandwide with few restrictions two that set owner-occupancy and total-day limits and a fourth that established a three-year cap of 1,350 total STR properties and limited rentals to 70 days a year With no short-term-rental zoning regulations passed the issue is now in the hands of Land Court Judge Michael Vhay He is currently deliberating the appeal case of Cathy Ward who is suing the town over its decision to allow a neighbor to short-term rent their home more frequently than they live in it “I’ve lost track of how many times we’ve been to Town Meeting to solve this problem,” town counsel John Giorgio said prior to the four votes “It’s imperative that you solve this problem locally you are leaving it in the hands of a judge in Boston I think that comes with substantial risk.” Voters came closest to a resolution with Article 66 which received a majority vote but fell short of the two-thirds threshold required for a zoning bylaw to pass would have explicitly allowed short-term rentals island-wide as a primary use to be regulated through existing and future general bylaws “I think the short-term rental topic is the 21st-century white whale for Nantucket,” she said and I hope that I’ve written an article that can settle it in a way that everyone can be happy with.” Nantucket Land & Water Council executive director Emily Molden opposed the article “Our concerns are the continued conversion of homes being used exclusively as STRs,” she said “It incentivizes more intense redevelopment that has effects on our drinking water Former town assessor Debie Dilworth spoke in favor “The STR rental excise tax is an important part of our budget and every dollar it raises is a dollar not going on your tax levy.” Monday with 16 articles still up for debate Nantucket's annual exercise in citizen democracy kicked off Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m Monday's debate began with about 620 voters in the building and climbed to just over 730 by the time the short-term rental debate began at 6:15 p.m five and a half hours after it began Monday • Article 102: Voters 183-17 took no action on a proposal by Stephen Welch regarding ground-cover allowances • Article 101: Voters 183-17 took no action on a proposal by Stephen Welch regarding rooftop satellite dishes • Article 100: Voters 171-68 rejected a proposal by Meghan Perry authorizing the town to take by eminent domain for $3.8 million (the assessed value of the property) the proposed Surfside Crossing 40B affordable-housing property at 3,5,7 and 9 South Shore Road for the purpose of creating 40 affordable-housing units along with the future home of a new town-owned nursing home A taking would require at least one appraisal of fair-market value adding that Massachusetts courts have frowned on recent attempts to take properties on which 40B projects have been proposed Town Meeting also can not compel the Select Board to execute an eminent domain taking • Article 92: Voters 195-32 a charter change making all existing gender references in the document gender-neutral • Article 87: Voters 195-36 requiring the signatures of 25 registered voters for the inclusion of an article on the Town Meeting warrant following a successful amendment by Hillary Hedges Rayport reducing the number from 50 • Article 85: Voters 220-51 a citizen's petition by Nantucket Current editor Jason Graziadei authorizing the town to allow notices of public hearings in a newspaper or electronic medium instead of just a printed newspaper after rejecting 199-66 an amendment proposed by Campbell Sutton requiring the notices to be published both in print and digitally • Article 84: Voters 236-52 rejected a citizen's petition by Campbell Sutton to authorize the town to hold no less than two Town Meetings a year one in the spring to deal primarily with spending proposals and appropriations and another in the fall for planning and land-use issues after rejecting 191-86 an amendment proposed by Clay Evans to limit the spring Town Meeting to March or April • Article 80: Voters 245-78 defeated a proposal by Clifford Williams to include 44 Skyline Drive in the Town Sewer District • Article 77: Voters approved 236-97 a proposal by Christopher Fraker to include 42 Monohansett Road in the Town Sewer District • Article 71: Voters 260-93 approved a Select Board proposal allowing for the installation of traffic-control devices using LED or other lights to display a driver's speed or other messages to inform drivers of changing road conditions after adopting 287-74 an amendment by Chris Young establishing some criteria for their use • Article 69: Voters overwhelmingly rejected 490-82 a general bylaw proposed by Matthew Peel of Nantucket Neighborhoods First that would establish a three-year moratorium on short-term rentals above 1,350 and limit STRs to 70 days a year per property • Article 68: Voters rejected 477-181 a general bylaw proposal by Patsy Wright that in essence mimicked the provisions of Article 67 below after rejecting 475-151 an amendment proposed by Lucy Hehir that attempted to bring it into compliance with the general bylaw; and defeating 484-151 an amendment proposed by Fritz McClure that would allow a property to be short-term rented one day less than the total number of days occupied by the owner with no minimum occupancy requirement • Article 67: Voters after just under an hour of debate 492-243 rejected a zoning bylaw proposed by McClure that would allow short-term vacation rentals one less day than the number of days a year occupied by the property owner; require owners to occupy their property for at least 30 days a year require a seven-day minimum stay in July and August and three-day minimum the rest of the year They also rejected 589-111 an amendment by Robert Constable that would have allowed lowered the days required for an owner to stay in their homes to 13 days a year prior to renting and allow rentals up to one day less than twice the number of days occupied by the homeowner; and defeated 446-276 an amendment by Michael Herlihy allowing two dwellings to be used as short-term rentals at any given time Supporters said the proposal allowed for the time-honored tradition of islanders renting their homes to make ends meet or generate additional income while discouraging those looking to maximize income potential and overburden the island's resources Opponents said it unfairly discriminated against seasonal residents and could potentially cripple the island's hospitality-based economy • Article 66: Voters after about 45 minutes of debate rejected a citizen's petition by Caroline Baltzer that would have allowed short-term vacation rentals in any Nantucket residential zoning district subject to any and all general-bylaw regulations on the books or established in the future the two-thirds majority required for approval • Article 65: Voters rejected a citizen's petition by Emily Molden to amend the zoning bylaw to require a Zoning Board of Appeals special permit for subdivision and construction on pre-existing non-conforming lots allowed under state law after rejecting 536-205 an amendment by Select Board member Dawn Hill Holdgate to set the start date of July 1 it did not meet the two-thirds majority required for aproval 2025) The Nantucket Historical Association has launched a new podcast "The Nantucket Gam," to explore a wide breadth of island histor… has been named to Travel + Leisure’s prestigious list of the top 500 hotels in the… 2025) The House chairman of a key committee said last week policymakers are reevaluating all of Massachusetts' climate and emissions m… Thee were plenty of empty seats in the Nantucket High School auditorium as the second day of the 2025 Annual Town Meeting got underway Monday … The distinctive sounds of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will join the music of the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra for the 28th annual Boston Pops on Nantucket concert which will benefit the Nantucket Cottage Hospital General admission tickets are available through Nantucket Cottage Hospital's website, nantuckethospital.org/pops Limited reserved seating options are still available; call 508-825-8250 for more information Referred to as “the most powerful and intense Springsteen tribute on the planet,” Bruce In The USA has made a name for itself from performances on the Las Vegas Strip during the winter of 2004 to its debut at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino This Bruce Springsteen tribute band has performed at many of Springsteen's old haunts and many theaters and performing arts centers across the country.  The high-energy musical experience delivers a true-to-life rendition of a Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band concert After more than two decades of performances, the Boston Pops on Nantucket concert continues to serve as the largest and most highly anticipated summer event on Nantucket. According to a Nantucket Current report thousands of people come to Jetties Beach each year to experience an evening of entertainment in a benefit concert that raises funds to support the general operations of Nantucket Cottage Hospital Boston Pops on Nantucket is presented by White Elephant Resorts and Jill and Stephen Karp Download the app to LISTEN LIVE wherever you are and connect with us like never before The queen of Nantucket beach reads, Elin Hilderbrand, has a new travel guide and a bus tour of the island’s hottest spots ― led by the author’s sister On May 6, “The Blue Book: A Must-See, Can’t-Miss, Won’t-Forget Guide to Nantucket” publishes, listing Hilderbrand’s favorite shops, restaurants and beaches as well places featured in the nearly 30 Nantucket novels the author has written since 1993 Starting on May 7 ― and continuing through Oct 19 ― Nantucket Island Tours will lead the Elin Hilderbrand “Blue Book” Tour Hilderbrand’s sister, Heather Osteen Thorpe, will guide the $100-per-person bus tours that are booking now through nantucketbustours.com/ Highlighted sites include The Nantucket Hotel, Mitchell’s Book Corner, Sankaty Head Lighthouse, Jetties Beach, Sconset and The Chicken Box Hilderbrand wrapped up her Nantucket-based novels with last June’s publication of the aptly named “Swan Song,” which pits locals against rich strangers who move to the island bringing social mayhem and a possible murder In her newest from Hachette Book Group Hilderbrand’s “The Blue Book” “offers readers practical and fun insider tips: from drive-on beaches to late-night dance bars; from romantic getaways to family outings; from where to find the best oysters to where to buy the best beach towel Interspersed with scenes from Elin’s novels set at the locations she recommends with charming watercolor illustrations throughout.” Hilderbrand has always made Nantucket a major character in her books. To publicize her book, “The Dinner Party,” in 2005, the author cooked dinner for 12 people who helped inspire the novel: The group gathered at 5 Quince St in the circa 1730s home where the novel was set “The Blue Book” sells for $20 in hardcover or $27 for a signed copy available through Nantucket Book Partners a collaboration between Mitchell’s Book Corner and Nantucket Bookworks Pre-orders are being taken in advance of the May 6 publication date And coming soon is "The Academy," in which New York Times best-selling author Hilderbrand teams up with her daughter page-turning novel following an intertwined cast of characters over the course of one drama-filled year at a New England boarding school." Gwenn Friss is the editor of CapeWeek and covers entertainment, restaurants and the arts. Contact her at gfriss@capecodonline.com. 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