Thanks for the comments. I have a larger gripe with the Town Fathers than the football field. Nobody is planning for more than next summer. Decisions are being made pay check, to paycheck, not decade to decade. 25 million here,350 million there, pretty soon you are talking about real money. And we are rap[idly losing teachers cops, and firemen with mortgages and long term interest out here. If we are thinking of the Nantucket Experience and don't care about community, we can probably find some temps for all of this. But I don't think we do.
The fall STM made crystal clear what is going on on Nantucket. Commercial interests many of whom have a very limited history on the Island are firmly in control. This group views the Island only as an economic engine. For those of us who have been on Island for our entire lives and in many cases multiple generations, that is not how we viewed the Island. Yes we understood it was important to support local Island businesses and Islanders themselves. We understood that there was along term symbiotic relationship between year round multi-generational residents and their summer counterparts. That is now gone. The folks in control do not have a long history or a long view of the Island. They are there to get "theirs" and will likely not be around twenty years from now. In many cases "they" are faceless institutional investors who have a duty to their own investors to maximize profits
I had one other flippant thought. On South Shore Road, on the way to the sewer beds, a real estate speculator is trying to sell an eight bedroom house. It has parking garages, a pool, and a fire pit. It would make a lovely dorm for teachers. The house could probably get bought for 25 million.
I do not live on the island.I am a “summer person”, one who believes every word you wrote.
We waited many years for our place on island. I hope we understand how difficult housing is for residents. I rent my cottage Only to people who live and work on island. I wish I could rent it year round, but it was build for summer use. I rent it for below market, because if you work on island, you should be able to live on island. I fear the recent total acceptance of STR’s will be a bigger nightmare than some people realize. People, not money make Nantucket so special.
Thanks for the comments. I have a larger gripe with the Town Fathers than the football field. Nobody is planning for more than next summer. Decisions are being made pay check, to paycheck, not decade to decade. 25 million here,350 million there, pretty soon you are talking about real money. And we are rap[idly losing teachers cops, and firemen with mortgages and long term interest out here. If we are thinking of the Nantucket Experience and don't care about community, we can probably find some temps for all of this. But I don't think we do.
And where would we put them?
The fall STM made crystal clear what is going on on Nantucket. Commercial interests many of whom have a very limited history on the Island are firmly in control. This group views the Island only as an economic engine. For those of us who have been on Island for our entire lives and in many cases multiple generations, that is not how we viewed the Island. Yes we understood it was important to support local Island businesses and Islanders themselves. We understood that there was along term symbiotic relationship between year round multi-generational residents and their summer counterparts. That is now gone. The folks in control do not have a long history or a long view of the Island. They are there to get "theirs" and will likely not be around twenty years from now. In many cases "they" are faceless institutional investors who have a duty to their own investors to maximize profits
I had one other flippant thought. On South Shore Road, on the way to the sewer beds, a real estate speculator is trying to sell an eight bedroom house. It has parking garages, a pool, and a fire pit. It would make a lovely dorm for teachers. The house could probably get bought for 25 million.
I do not live on the island.I am a “summer person”, one who believes every word you wrote.
We waited many years for our place on island. I hope we understand how difficult housing is for residents. I rent my cottage Only to people who live and work on island. I wish I could rent it year round, but it was build for summer use. I rent it for below market, because if you work on island, you should be able to live on island. I fear the recent total acceptance of STR’s will be a bigger nightmare than some people realize. People, not money make Nantucket so special.
Thanks for reading, thanks for renting.
very well said