Please Think Again About Our Island Home

To the editor: On Election Day, May 20th, we have another chance to approve a new Our Island Home. After hearing the pros and cons presented at Town Meeting, I want to make a few points.

First, what no one disputes: $125 million is an astounding amount of money for a nursing home. I wanted to know just how much of this debt would fall on me. Using the town’s online calculator, I learned I would be on the hook for about $600 a year in increased property taxes just for this facility. That’s about three boat trips per year — if I have to visit someone I love in an off-island nursing home, where they would spend most days separated from family and friends and everything familiar for the rest of their lives. Even if you or someone you love never needs a nursing home, chances are that at least one of your friends won’t be so lucky. And $600 per year will seem a small price to pay to keep their family member close enough to visit regularly.

Second: I heard at Town Meeting that a new nursing home can be built for far less, possibly even half the $125 million price tag. Of course, that’s a no-brainer if it’s not built on Nantucket. No need to transport materials across 30 miles of water. No need to house or transport hundreds of workers. No need to comply with Massachusetts state construction codes or prevailing wage guidelines since many other locations are not as strict.

Third: Dozens of people — dedicated town officials, concerned citizens and experts in design, construction and nursing home administration — have spent the last decade on this project. They are as shocked as we are at the cost. They’re also proud of their proposal, which meets current nursing home standards and provides a comfortable and safe facility. As part of their due diligence, they investigated the Martha’s Vineyard project that some people use for comparison, and they learned that it’s not really comparable and its purported lower price tag is just an early estimate.

Please vote on May 20. And please think again about Our Island Home. It's too much money if you never need it but a modest expense for those of us who do.

Mary Anne Easley