Nantucket Harbor Board Plans DEP Referral Over Great Harbor Yacht Club License Violations

NANTUCKET — March 17, 2026 — Nantucket Harbor and Shellfish Advisory Board plans formal DEP referral over Great Harbor Yacht Club license violations. The board, meeting March 17, agreed to bring Natural Resources Director Jeff Carlson to its April 7 meeting to discuss routing a formal enforcement request to the state Department of Environmental Protection, backed by documented infractions related to fueling, emergency haul-out, and public pedestrian access obligations the club's Chapter 91 license is said to require. Chair Peter Mayo noted that the club's affiliated foundation has donated $630,000 to harbor-related organizations, but said compliance obligations must still be pressed. Member Dave Franzuto, who has driven the Chapter 91 effort, announced he will not seek re-election by the March 31 filing deadline, citing family obligations, but pledged to continue contributing informally. The board also identified up to five potential town meeting articles, including a commercial scalloping schedule change, a no-wake zone ordinance, apprenticeship guideline revisions, a ferry embarkation fee, and a refiling of a 2015 state bill — passed by both chambers but pocket-vetoed by then-Governor Deval Patrick — that would have shielded commercial fishermen on elected advisory boards from conflict-of-interest statutes.