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HomeMy WebLinkAboutManagerNewsletter20140731 This Newsletter is formatted for use on all browsers.View this email in your browser From the Desk of Town Manager Libby Gibson July - August, 2014 Volume 5, Number 4 Town of Nantucket 16 Broad Street Nantucket, MA 02554 P: (508) 228-7255 F: (508) 228-7272 Contact Us! Town of Nantucket Website Newsletter Archives Subscribe to Newsletter Town Administration News and Updates Long-term Capital Financing Plan For the last year or so, Town Administration and the Capital Program Committee have been working on a long-term capital financing plan for Town capital projects. Last summer, the Committee met with most Town departments to discuss short- term (3-5 year) and long-term (5-20 year) projects. After the projects were compiled and vetted, the Town’s Financial Advisor put them all into a model to show various financing options and tax rate impacts, with the intent to minimize the impact of these projects on the taxpayer as much as possible. Now would be the time to start getting some of our bigger projects approved because interest rates are low and a substantial amount of existing Town debt will be retired in the next 3-5 years. A presentation of the plan so far was given to the Board at its June 25, 2014 meeting. Over the next few months the plan will be refined and updates provided to the Board regularly. The plan is dynamic and is intended to be updated at least annually. Energy Office For an Energy Office update, click here. Projects/Reports Airport’s “Carbon Neutral” Program The Airport provided this news: th On June 27 , Nantucket Memorial Airport welcomed the Governor, state and federal officials, and the general public to celebrate the commencement of Phase II of the Carbon Neutral Airport Program. ACK was selected by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Aeronautics Division, to become the first airport in the nation to completely offset its greenhouse gas emissions. The program hopes to use the assistance of an Energy Services Company (Honeywell Building Solutions), to outline a path for this to be accomplished. Specifically, Phase II acknowledges the implementation stage, and the beginning of Honeywell’s Investment Grade Audit (IGA). The IGA will provide the details on a number of projects within the program – from efficient lighting installation to HVAC system upgrades to solar panel installation, including their cost, payback, and financing options. If a viable project can be found, the Airport will take the program to the 2015 Annual Town Meeting for community approval. The IGA will be completed this fall, and will likely target a 35% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency measures, and a solar installation in the Bunker road area of approximately 1.0-1.5 MW. Board of Selectmen Chairman Rick Atherton, Representative Timothy Madden, Governor Deval Patrick and Airport Commission Chairman Dan Drake Personnel Missing “Person” at Finance Department? On a recent visit to the Finance Department at 37 Washington Street, I inquired about some apparent changes and here is what I was informed: “In case you haven’t noticed, there is a missing person in the Finance Department: a virtual person has simply vanished. It all began last fall when Payroll Administrator Krista Lewis enrolled in a diet program offered through a local chiropractic office. Three of Krista’s colleagues watched her carefully and to be honest skeptically as she successfully navigated the weight-gaining perils of the holiday season, but as a substantially slimmer Krista entered 2014, Deb Weiner, Diana Wallingford and Kathy Richen joined the program in February. This diet limits sugar, carbohydrates, fats and dairy giving the dieter the ability to not only lose weight, but control blood sugar and lower blood pressure which all adds up to better health. Supplements add what nutrients the dieter might be missing and each day ends with a rather tasty dessert. Some of you might have seen Krista fly by in the July 4th Firecracker 5K, the accomplishment of which all of the dieters were very proud. The combined weight loss of the four Finance Department dieters equals the weight of ….. let us say a very substantial adult, hence the missing person in the Finance Department!” Kathy Richen, Diana Wallingford, Den Weiner and Krista Lewis Of Interest Senior Citizens of the Year – 2014 On June 26th, a luncheon was held at the Faregrounds Restaurant to honor the 2014 Senior Citizens of the Year recipients: Emma Rusch and Michael Varbalow. Emma Rusch Michael Varbalow These worthy citizens are selected by joint agreement of the Nantucket Council on Aging and Nantucket Center for Elder Affairs. It turned out that same day was Mrs. Rusch’s 104th birthday! Congratulations to both recipients! Jetties & Surfside Beach Concessions The Town rents out three restaurant/snack bar concessions: Jetties Beach, Surfside Beach and Children’s Beach. In my June e-newsletter, I featured Bart Gangemi the concessionaire for Children’s Beach; this month, I’m featuring Marshall Thompson who has been operating the Jetties concession and the Surfside snack bar for several years. Here is what Marshall says about his concessions: I can remember when I first came to Nantucket back in the Seventies. I would go down to Jetties Beach and go windsurfing. Francie Bovers ran a small concession there and taught the first generation of windsurfers on the island. I would go down every day there was wind and hang out. I was working nights at the Club Car and loved the opportunity to be on the water. I would go up to the Jetties snack bar for drinks or lunch but little did I know that thirty some years later I would get the lease on that very concession. When I heard from the previous tenant at The Jetties, that he would not be returning I was immediately interested. I thought The Jetties had a lot of potential . I could use what I had learned and the relationships I had built in over thirty years of being in the restaurant business on Nantucket and end up working on the beach! The Park and Recreation Commission was very helpful to me and at the same time made clear its vision for The Jetties. The Commission wanted to keep the casual nature of the existing restaurant and improve the services to the public. After all Jetties Beach is a public park and a beautiful one used by all sorts of people. The Commission and subsequently the Board of Selectmen were cautious in their approach to approving my request for a liquor license. For my first year I was granted provisional permission to serve alcohol during the dinner hour only from 5:00 pm – 9:30 pm. I had to reapply in year two and after five years I was allowed, with another one year probationary period, to serve alcohol at lunch also. That winter when I was trying to come up with our food concept, I had a meal at a friend’s restaurant on the beach in the Dominican Republic called Pomodoro. We ate a fantastic Italian-inspired meal while sitting at picnic tables with our feet in the sand surrounded by multiple generations of families having a good time. I wanted Jetties to be family-friendly and casual and decided pasta and pizza, salads and risotto would fit the bill for dinner. At the same time the beach in New England is a natural for raw bar and lobsters and lobster rolls and a really good burger. I asked my very talented chef Bruce Yancey if he thought we could combine the two: the family- friendly nature of good Italian food along with traditional New England fare. Bruce pulled it off with flare - even though, since the Jetties has no mechanical dishwasher, we have to serve on compostable bamboo paper plates and biodegradable plastic cups made from corn. That first year we were written up in the New York Times as “New England meets Italy on the beach in Nantucket.” In addition to being a restaurant The Jetties also does special events and functions for a variety of organizations and people. We do a lot of fundraisers for local non profits. I love the fact that tons of locals, seasonal residents and tourists come into The Jetties. We have showers and changing rooms and good food and a fun gift shop (run with panache by my daughter Marlee Thompson and her best friend from forever Nelly Morley). Three years ago the concession at Surfside became available. The gentleman who had run it forever had decided to hang up his hat and after much consideration we decided to bid on the lease. It fits right in with the Jetties season and gets me out to the South Shore - another one of Nantucket’s beautiful beaches. Everyone told me not to mess with the concept or the “best burger on the island!” We got the recipe from Jeff , the previous owner, and while there are a lot of really good burgers on the island there is something special about the one at the Surfside Shack. I also love that we employ lots of local kids both at the Jetties and Surfside We are the first job for a lot of high school kids - both local and seasonal. In addition we also hire college kids from the United States and around the world. This is real cultural exchange, friendships and bonds and the lessons of hard work that will last a lifetime are formed by these students. Our cooks and kitchen staff are also from all over the world starting with Nantucket (thank you Nantucket High School Culinary Arts program!) and most have been with me for years and make our restaurant run like a top during the 90 busy busy days we are open. My experience working with all the town departments has been very positive. I think they all take pride in our beautiful parks. I would like to say a special thank you to Jimmy Manchester who was so helpful in my first years of operation. I feel very grateful for the opportunities I have to work in both of these Nantucket concessions. Marshall Thompson NCTV (Nantucket Community Television) Updates This from Jeff Tocci, Director of NCTV: Nantucket Community Television has made significant strides since its inception in the spring of 2012. Staying true to its mission of serving the community via public access, education, and local government, NCTV has quickly become the go-to resource for everything Nantucket. In the public access realm, NCTV has produced a number of camera operation, lighting, and video editing tutorials that have thousands of views online, and have served numerous Nantucket residents in their video production training. For education, NCTV has invested $20,000 to equip the Large Group Instruction room at the Nantucket High School with high-definition camera equipment, so that NHS will one day be able to teach video production as an elective course. In the government sector, Annual and Special Town Meetings, Nantucket Civic League events, and all of the Board of Selectmen, Airport Commission, and School Committee meetings, are just a few of the local government events we cover each year. Perhaps NCTV's greatest recent achievement is teaching the Nantucket Film Festival's Teen View Program, in which ten high school students learned the art of filmmaking and premiered their movies at the festival. Many of these students are going on to study film in college at some of the best film schools on the east coast, and NCTV is extremely proud to have had a positive influence in these young peoples' lives. This September, NCTV will continue to encourage amateur filmmaking by sponsoring the Nantucket Shorts Festival: an event that allows anyone to create an original film and premiere it at the Dreamland Theater. In the future, NCTV hopes to have every non-profit organization on the island trained in video production, so that they can record their own events, and broadcast their organization's message on Channel 18. Jeff Tocci and Chris Wendzicki Surfside Wastewater Treatment Facility On July 11th, some Town staff and the Volpe family (seasonal residents) took a tour of the Surfside WWTF with David Gray, the Chief Plant Operator. David gives a very informative and interesting tour. To sign up for a tour, call 508-325-5333. Over 38,000,000 gallons of wastewater is treated at the Surfside facility, per year. The final treated product is said to be of drinking water quality, and it is constantly being tested to ensure compliance with state and federal environmental standards – nonetheless no one on the tour took David up on his offer to take a sip of water after the final treatment process … David reports that unfortunately people constantly flush wipes, rags and diapers down the toilet – all of which should not be disposed of through the sewer system. One of the facility mottos is “No Wipes in the Pipes – Only Toilet Paper Down the Toilet”. Another is “Cease the Grease” – cooking oils and grease should also not be disposed of through the sewer system. David suggests storing those items in your freezer until you are ready to discard them, then dispose of them in your household trash to go to the landfill. Thank you for the tour David – you and your staff are doing a great job out there! 40th Pole Annually for the past several years, the Board and a private property owner who owns land at the area known as “40th Pole” in Dionis have executed an agreement which allows the public to use a portion of the private property. This year, a private event will be held on the property and the property will be closed entirely to the public from August 20 – 27. While this may cause consternation among the regular 40th Pole beach users, we very much hope for their cooperation and understanding with the closure so that the public may continue to enjoy the use of this very popular beach into the future. Board of Selectmen Meetings In addition to watching the “BOS” meetings live on-line, you can also listen to them on the radio at 89.5 WNCK! Board of Selectmen Activities Nantucket Cottage Hospital Proposed Relocation At its July 23rd meeting, the Board of Selectmen held a discussion with the Hospital, Nantucket Water Commission, the Richmond Group (owner of the former Glowacki property off Old South Road) and Andrew Vorce, the Director of Planning about the Hospital’s proposal to relocate its facility to the Town-owned Wyer's Valley property which is under the administrative jurisdiction of the Nantucket Water Commission. Andrew presented an alternative site analysis; the Hospital presented its proposal for the Wyer's Valley site; and Phil Pastan of the Richmond Group reviewed the potential for a site at that property. The Board of Selectmen will be formulating its thoughts over the next few weeks and months and will be seeking public input regarding the proposal. In order to facilitate the public input, a public discussion has been scheduled during the Board’s regular meeting on August 6th. Nantucket Community Association Annual Summer Forum On July 28th, most of the Board members and I and special guest Lauren Sinatra, the Town’s Energy Coordinator, attended the NCA’s annual summer forum at the Atheneum. Despite a somewhat rainy morning, over 50 people attended. I discussed what Town Administration has been working on lately, Lauren provided an energy initiatives update, Bruce Miller spoke about parking initiatives, Tobias Glidden reviewed the long-term capital financing plan that Town Administration and the Capital Program Committee have worked on over the past year, and Rick Atherton discussed local erosion control issues. This was followed by a Question & Answer session. Questions and comments ranged from cobblestones to energy efforts to ticks and affordable housing. It was a good session and we appreciate the Community Association’s coordination of this event. Get to Know Your Town Volunteers This month I interviewed Hayleigh Earle, who doesn’t actually serve on a Town Committee or Board but volunteered this spring as an intern prior to her graduation from Newbury College. She is joining the Air Force and hopes to become a pilot. Q. How long have you lived on Nantucket? A. My whole life, 21 years. Q. What is your volunteer job? A. I do activities with the residents of OIH as well as visit and talk with them. Q. How long have you served? A. Since May of 2014 but also when I was a child my grandmother was a resident at OIH and my mom (Andrea Earle) worked there and I did various small tasks like visiting, shredding old documents, helping outside. Q. What interests you about serving the Town? A. I love this population, I work well with them and I enjoy it. Q. What is most rewarding? A. I love seeing the residents engaging in the activities and with each other. Q. What is most challenging? A. Knowing how limited my time with the residents is. Q. If you could change one thing about Town government what would it be? A. I would really like to see a longer season for the shuttle buses. Q. What is your favorite spot on the Island? A. Any of the beaches, if they are not too crowded, especially Monomoy, Miacomet, Madaquecham, Cisco. Thank you, Hayleigh! JULY-AUGUST TRIVIA QUESTION How many steps are there to reach the observation room in the tower of the Congregational Church? JUNE TRIVIA QUESTION Where is this? Answer: Union Street, on the left, just before Salem Street and Main Street Correct Answers: NO ONE even attempted to identify the location of these pretty flowers! As always, ideas for future e-newsletter topics are welcome! Copyright © 2014 Town of Nantucket, All rights reserved. unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences