Our Island Home, Turf Field Project Passed On The Ballot As Voters Approve More Than $200 Million In Spending

Voters approved both the new Our Island Home proposal and the Nantucket High School athletic facilities improvement project on Tuesday, as every question on the ballot passed during the annual town election, teeing up more than $200 million in override spending.

Question One: Our Island Home

Yes: 1,887

No: 1,119

Our Island Home is moving to Sherburne Commons. After years of debate, voters at Town Meeting and, now, the ballot box, have backed the $137 million project to move the state’s last municipally-owned nursing home and build a new facility off South Shore Road. The largest capital project in Nantucket history, Our Island Home cleared its toughest test when it secured two-thirds support at Town Meeting, but majority approval was still needed Tuesday. Read more here.

Question Two: School Athletic Facilities Improvements

Yes: 1,773

No: 1,208

Voters approved a broad array of renovations slated for the athletic complexes at Vito Capizzo Stadium Tuesday, another show of approval for the project that passed by a wide margin at Town Meeting. But there is still one obstacle standing in the way of the proposed athletic turf field that has drawn the bulk of the controversy associated with the project. The Board of Health is still considering banning or tightly restricting turf. Read more here.

Question Three: Town Employee Housing

Yes: 1,645

No: 1,262

Question Three, an override request for the design and construction of town employee housing on Waitt Drive, has passed. It asked for $7 million for nine bedrooms, part of a broader town strategy to create significant municipal employee housing as the island’s housing crisis continues to make it difficult to hire and retain staff. Read more here.

Question Four: LORAN Barracks Improvements

Yes: 1,503

No: 1,381

While it won’t be enough to authorize the town to go ahead with the project, voters signaled their support for the next phase of repairs at the LORAN barracks, which serve as dormitory housing for seasonal community service officers, on Tuesday. Question Four asked for $5.4 million for the repairs. Amid multiple reports of poor conditions at the barracks, Town Meeting voters backed the repairs in a 324-218 vote, but two-thirds support was needed for the article to pass, and no margin at the polls could overturn the result of the Town Meeting vote. Still, majority support on Town Meeting floor and at the ballot box could influence how the town chooses to move forward. Read more here.

Question Five: Somerset Sewer Expansion

Yes: 1,790

No: 1,108

A sewer system expansion will be coming to the Somerset area after voters backed a $44.8 million expansion project. Town Meeting also voted 304-116 to approve the project after removing a clause empowering the Select Board to pay for a portion of it using betterment fees assessed on impacted homeowners. Read more here.

Question Six: Tom Nevers Debris Removal

Yes: 1,885

No: 1,008

After passing on consent at Town Meeting, phase two of debris cleanup at the abandoned Navy base in Tom Nevers, which will involve reconstructing the multi-use Tom Nevers playing court and will continue debris removal at the site, has also passed by a wide margin at the ballot. Read more from the Town here.

Question Seven: General Fund Capital Expenditures

Yes: 1,916
No: 979

Voters have endorsed the town’s general fund capital expenditures. Question Seven sought $2,274,300 for investments in Town infrastructure, including fire engine replacements, vehicles and equipment, facility repairs and upgrades, and recreational improvements. That funding is a portion of the roughly $16.5 million in general fund expenditures that Town Meeting approved on consent. Read more from the town here.