Nantucket Seasonal Taxpayer Panel Votes to Oppose $126 Million Nursing Home Proposal Again

NANTUCKET -- April 11, 2026, Nantucket's non-voting taxpayer advisory panel voted Saturday to renew its opposition to a $126 million proposal to replace Our Island Home before the May 4 annual town meeting. Chair Peter Halley and member Gene Brislin led discussion of the proposal, with Brislin comparing it to Navigator Homes on Martha's Vineyard, a comparable skilled nursing facility completed in 2025 at roughly $1.4 million per bed, versus Nantucket's projected $2.8 million per bed for a 45-bed facility. Finance Committee and Capital Program Committee Chair Jill Veeth, who joined the Zoom session after a scheduling mix-up, said the town faces roughly $1 billion in capital needs over the next decade and stated plainly, "I do not think that we can do that, we're going to have to make some decisions and prioritize." A pro forma shared with the committee projects the annual town operating subsidy for the facility will reach roughly $8.5 million by year ten of the new building, not including debt service on $119 million in authorized borrowing. The committee voted unanimously to authorize Halley and member Pam Swan to draft a letter to the Select Board reiterating opposition, with Swan tasked with adding language acknowledging the emotional stakes while questioning the financial viability of the current design.