Nantucket CPC Approves $105,000 in Grants, Flags $50,000 Easement Fee Dispute

NANTUCKET -- May 19, 2026, Nantucket's Community Preservation Committee approved more than $105,000 in grant reimbursements and confronted a surprise $50,000 easement fee demand at its May 19 meeting. The committee voted 4-1 to approve fund requisitions for four grantees: the Racket Sports Association ($7,740.17 for fiscal year 2020), the Interfaith Council ($41,263), and Nantucket Lighthouse School ($54,060.93 plus $2,463.55 for rain garden construction). The meeting's sharpest exchange came during a staff discussion in which the chair disclosed that the Nantucket Preservation Trust had told the Nantucket Historical Association it would charge $25,000 each to hold preservation easements on the Old Mill and the Old Candle Factory, prompting the chair to tell the NHA "do not pay it" and commit to consulting town counsel Stuart about alternative holding entities. "Are you kidding me?" the chair said. "It comes right out of our pockets for what we're giving them brick and mortar." The committee also reported that its top candidate for the long-vacant office staff position had withdrawn after losing a housing arrangement, with a second candidate expected to receive a formal offer; neither could start before mid-June, leaving the office without dedicated staff since December. The next regular meeting is June 16.