What The Non-Voting Taxpayers Got Wrong On Our Island Home

To the editor: In his letter on behalf of the Advisory Committee of Nonvoting Taxpayers, Peter E. Halle states that "The existing OIH provides an appropriate level of care" and recommends against taking on the cost of "an expensive new facility." It is clear that he and those he represents are unfamiliar with the worn-out 40-year-old building that does not and cannot meet current code for a skilled nursing facility.

Nor are nonresident taxpayers likely to bring their fragile loved ones to Nantucket to be cared for at Our Island Home. Infrequent and expensive trips to visit them would be the reverse of what resident Nantucketers will face if OIH ceases to exist. As daunting as the projected cost of a fully-equipped new facility is, the present one has served many hundreds of Nantucket families for over four decades, and a well-built new one should still be doing the same for a couple of decades after it is paid off.

Consider the addition to our tax bills as premiums on a community insurance policy that guarantees local care if and when we find ourselves in need. I urge everyone who can to promise a donation to the fund the Friends of Our Island Home is establishing through the Community Foundation for Nantucket to reduce the projected addition to our tax bills. No donation is too small. What counts is the number of Nantucketers who take a stand to continue skilled nursing care on-island.

Frances Karttunen