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Home My WebLink About2004-09-10 ADVISORY COMMITTEE OF NONVOTING TAXPAYERS Minutes of meeting at 10 A.M., Friday, SEPTEMBER 10,2004, in the High School Conference Room. 1. Present: Bill Sherman, Duncan (Terry) Sutphen, Jim Treanor, Joan Wofford, prospective member Bob Shapiro, and guest Nantucket's SSA representative H .Flint Ranney. 2. Chairman Roger Ernst called the meeting to order at 10:13 a.m., noting absence of a quorum. The minutes of the 8/20/04 meeting were tentatively approved subject to ratification at a future meeting. 3. Bob Shapiro was welcomed, given a Town application form for . ACNVT membership, and noted his serving as ophthalmologist ~ the Hospital and with the Civic League's Pocomo Associat~on. The ~ unfavorable experience he reported at the 2004 Annual Town M~ting as a nonvoting seasonal resident led to the suggestion of a letter ~om ACNVT Chair Roger Ernst to Town Moderator Sarah Alger callffig for better Town Meeting treatment of nonvoters. --" 4. After a welcome voiced by Roger and Roger's quick review of 0\ ACNVT's role, Flint Ranney offered his understandings of possible favorable changes coming for the SSA. He ascribed the good prospects for the Nantucket ferry service to the willingness of interim SSA General Manager Wayne Lamson to use his strong background with the ferry to deal with its current issues. Since taking the job recently, he has been to Nantucket more often than his predecessor. Likely he had not sought the General Manager position previously for family reasons - no longer a factor. Yet he is willing to return to his role as SSA Treasurer if the SSA Board selects another GM. (Flint is part of the GM search effort.) . Answering a question of how the SSA might discourage inordinately large vehicles, Flint noted that the SSA basically sold vehicle transport dependent on square feet of deck space. Any differential for charging more for larger vehicles has to be simple to avoid delayed loadings. Charging more for vehicles (SUVs, trucks, etc.) over 20' could work. . Current policy allowing 36-hour cancellation of truck reservations and penalty provisions are under review to gain better car reservation opportunities. . Upgrade of the SSA website is underway both to facilitate on-line reservation changes and to post latest information. SSA phone line waiting time on 'hold' has been cut by Lamson's overlapping two work shifts for greater staffing at peak hours. . To minimize SSA schedule uncertainties, setting the full-year schedule in advance, starting in 2005, is planned. . Flint seemed responsive to treating all Nantucket property owners- seasonal and year-round - equally in its excursion fare policy. . Flint has participated with the group that worked with Grace Grossman on pros and cons of splitting off the Nantucket - Hyannis operations of the SSA. That group, having spent some 2/3ds of the funds available on bond reissue and other hurdles, may put the effort on hold, given the more favorable prospects for good ferry service. No insurmountable hurdle has been found, but 100% support from Hyannis, matching the unanimous support voiced on Nantucket, would be needed politically to effect a split. The group meets again shortly. . The Federal funding that aided purchase of the Flying Cloud is no longer on tap. . Large high-speed ferries recently put into use elsewhere are too pricey for the SSA's Nantucket market. Much of their speed advantage is lost here due to the relatively greater run time at slower harbor speeds at either end. . Getting the SSA staff to exhibit a culture of hospitality, like the HyLine's, is sought. A letter from ACNVT encouraging that change might be addressed to SSA Board Chairman Robert O'Brien in Hyannis. . The SSA operates with 8 unions, some without contract the past 2 years, the others with different dates of contract expiration. ACNVT members expressed concern that apparent excess SSA staffing was costly. By contrast, the HyLine meets Coast Guard standards without excess. . Assignment of captains to different vessels and runs is based upon their seniority ranking and stated preferences. If each vessel were fully staffed with personnel that had a commitment to that vessel's runs, a stronger esprit might result in better maintenance, attitude, and serVIce. . Passenger traffic on conventional ferries has been declining but rising on the fast ferry. The SSA fast ferry loses revenue to the HyLine but both help relieve the numbers of people otherwise coming to the island by commuter flights. SSA per-passenger profitability on its fast ferry is markedly higher than on conventional ferries. . To attract more passengers to the Eagle, some thought has been given to a adding a dining/bar area offering high-quality service. . Recent year-to-year decline in car transport was attributed by members to cars left on-island by seasonal residents - or in Hyannis by islanders for mainland use. Flint noted that some who rented in past years are now home owners. Seasonal rentals are down. . Concern was expressed that Barnstable/Hyannis' expectations of less Nantucket truck traffic could not realistically be met and might be misplaced. Transport of trucks (vehicles over 20' long) is up about 2- 3% over the base year 1997 of the Hyannis - Nantucket agreement. That agreement calls for SSA designation of a mainland port other than Hyannis - which could be New Bedford, but transporting freight from New Bedford to Nantucket is not an economic answer for Hyannis' concerns, as can be shown. . To transport Nantucket trucks with less impact on Hyannis harbor, consideration is being given to enlarging existing SSA freight boats, e.g., by widening for another lane on the deck. Fewer freight boat runs would be needed. Current level of transport is about 30 trucks/day in winter, 80 - 85/day in summer. A hope is to sharply reduce the number of trucks on conventional ferries. . Barges are useful for bulk loads but cause damage to Steamboat wharf in adverse weather. An alternative to bulk load transfers at the wharf would be welcome. . To provide a needed increase in working area on Steamboat wharf, the site of the Skipper restaurant might be utilized, subject to regulatory approval. 5. Terry Sutphen, representing the Nantucket Community Association in the Community Coalition, and Bill Sherman for ACNVT reported on Coalition initiatives. . The Civic League's Board meeting on 9/13/04 will be focused on costs of the Surfside sewer plant upgrade and their allocation between taxpayers, users, and new hook-up charges. The Nantucket Community Association plans an ad campaign. · The Town Administrator's letter of 8/20/04 [sent to ACNVT via the Coalition] is a first response to Coalition concern that the town implement the recommendations made by the Septic System Regulatory Workgroup to the BOS. Terry understands that about 45% of homeowners asked to have their septic systems inspected have actually done that. Current calls for inspection are focused on the Nantucket Harbor Watershed Area. All island septic systems are inspected when property changes hands, an island first in MA. Terry has been pressing to have older, likely failed systems given inspection priority to get more timely impact from needed upgrading. . Terry called attention to the reversal of the NP&EDC [with new membership since the April elections] from support to non-support of an already funded Horseley & Whitten study of zoning impacts, cost impacts, affordable housing considerations, and funding alternatives of the Surfside plant upgrade. 6. Roger has proposed that Terry Sutphen be nominated to represent nonresident property owners at the 10/19/04 Special Town Meeting. Jim Treanor will not be available. Action on this will be taken at the next ACNVT meeting. 7. The next ACNVT meeting is set for Saturday, September 25,2004, at 10 a.m. in the High School conference room. [Shifted from Friday, 9/24, to assure a quorum.] 8. Roger Ernst adjourned the meeting at 11 :46 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Bill Sherman