Bruce (chair) called the Madaket Area Plan work group meeting to order and pressed members to provide feedback on Chapter 5, the chapter on natural and cultural resources, so Peter Hafner could move the draft forward.

Peter Hafner, who chairs the chapter on natural and cultural resources, told members that he had uploaded multiple files and was partly stuck waiting for review. "I just wanna make sure that everyone's had a chance to look at it and comment on it," Hafner said, asking for input or even a short “I have no comment” reply so he could proceed.

Why it matters: Chapter 5 will collect inventories and policy guidance that inform what the final Madaket Area Plan recommends on conservation land, historic resources, water quality and shoreline resilience. Members said the chapter needs clear boundaries with other chapters such as land use and reiterated that timely staff input would speed completion.

Members outlined topics they expect Chapter 5 to cover: conservation and open-space properties, beaches and piers used for emergency and public access, historic properties and Native American sites, groundwater and surface-water quality concerns (including references to the island’s TMDL work on nitrogen), landfill mining and PFAS, invasive species control, sea-level rise and viewscape/lighting protections. Kitty Pottschman asked what specific sections needed review and encouraged short, focused feedback; "Is there anything specific that you'd like us to review?" she asked.

Holly Backus was discussed as the town’s historic planner who could help on property-level questions. Members said Backus had limited staff capacity but could be asked to follow up; Hafner reported he had written to Backus about a developer application for 36 Tennessee Avenue that the applicant listed as built in 1975 while town records or older mapping show an original build date of 1938. Hafner said that discrepancy could affect the property’s eligibility for historic designation and that the issue was still unfolding before the HDC and Conservation Commission.

On water-quality topics, members suggested the chapter could address fertilizer use that contributes to nitrogen loads in Long Pond and Madaket Harbor and whether the plan should take positions on reducing or restricting contributors to local nitrogen loading. Members also proposed noting island-wide and local conservation groups that hold open-space parcels relevant to Madaket.

Process and next steps: Hafner and other chapter leads asked members to (a) provide short written comments in the shared Google Drive files or (b) convene small subgroup Zoom calls to discuss and refine chapter drafts before uploading changes. Members agreed that short, focused subcommittee meetings and a summary note of changes would help reduce document churn and speed progress.

Ending: The work group agreed to circulate a list of chapter leads and member assignments and to follow up with small Zoom sessions to close out outstanding Chapter 5 items. Hafner said he would accept targeted comments or short “no comment” replies that would allow him to advance the draft.