HomeMy WebLinkAbout2005-09-10
ADVISORY COMMITTEE OF NONVOTING TAXPAYERS
Minutes of meeting at 10 A.M., SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10,2005, in
the Town Annex Building Meeting Room.
1. Present: David Brown, Roger Ernst, Bill Sherman, Jay Strauss,
Duncan (Terry) Sutphen, and Jim Treanor. .
2. Acting Chair Terry Sutphen called the meeting to order ~~9:04~.
Minutes of the 8/27/05 meeting were distributed and ap~ed, e
subject to confirmation at a subsequent meeting. 2': .... ::
3. Discussion was opened by Terry Sutphen on the Town's~]Jogram1)f
septic system inspection. At a meeting with Health Officer RichaI~
Ray, Terry understood that no address list in usable form was w
available in the Health Department to support a mailing to all isla;;d
property owners with septic systems in use. An attempted hand-
delivery of septic inspection notices to Monomoy mailboxes was
aborted as against federal postal regulations. Bill Sherman undertook
to obtain such a list for the Health Officer.
4. With Jim Treanor leaving by September 16t\ progress is unlikely in
the ACNVT project to evaluate the quality of septic system
inspections when property in a harbor watershed is sold. An available
list of all island residential sales in 2004 and first-half 2005 will likely
prove useful in targeting watershed properties sold.
5. Terry noted that little information is currently available at the Health
Department on septic systems: just two pamphlets are stocked. [See
results of Google search for septic systems Massachusetts for an
abundance of resources] Upon Terry's request, Richard undertook to
add a list of qualified septic inspectors on the Town's Health
Department website. [Done.]
6. Terry has proposed making available, with Madaket Area
Conservation Association help, a technique offered by Sarah Oktay of
the UMASS Nantucket Field Station for quick assessment of areas
where pollution is caused by septic system failures. The hope is to
identify the relatively few failed systems that are major contributors to
Madaket harbor pollution. (Fishers Landing has septic systems but
Town water.)
7. Terry noted low summertime participation in the Community
Coalition but hopes that the presently constituted Board of Selectmen
will exhibit continued discipline in obtaining timely results of concern
to the Coalition, e.g., for the Master Plan and the updated Harbor
Plan.
;0
III
8. Terry and Bill Sherman are asked to draft an FY05 annual report for
Howard Blitman to submit on behalf of ACNVT, also a letter to Dan
Drake, with copy to Don Costanzo of the Nantucket Independent,
responding to Dan's opinion piece about representation of non-
resident property owners (August 31, 2005 issue).
9. No further 2005 ACNVT meeting is planned but reliance on off-
season e-mail is envisioned to keep abreast of issues upon which
ACNVT is currently focused. Our meeting was adjourned at 10:50
a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Bill Sherman