HomeMy WebLinkAboutBOS responses to OIH work group questions draft as of 012717QUESTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE BOARD OF SELECTMEN
FROM THE OIH FUTURE WORK GROUP
January 11, 2017
The work group is of the opinion that in order to pass a warrant article seeking more than thirty
million dollars for the construction of a new facility for Our Island Home, Nantucket voters need
answers to the following questions:
RESPONSES FROM TOWN ADMINISTRATION FROM DISCUSSIONS AT 1/11 AND 1/18
BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETINGS AS OF 1/27/17
1) If Our Island Home were to be moved from its current location, what would happen to
the current land and building? In all likelihood a group would be established to
review reuse possibilities. The Board of Selectmen will be discussing this at its
meeting on February 1st. The current Board has no intention of selling or
transferring the property to any private entity.
2)Upon building a new facility, will the town seek to privatize it, sell it, or merge it with
Sherburne Commons? No.
3)Will the town commit to funding for the continuing operation of a skilled nursing facility?
The current Board has committed to continue funding the operation of the current
facility with endorsement of the FY 18 proposed budget which still requires town
meeting approval. The current Board intends to continue seeking town meeting
approval of annual budgets for continued operation of a skilled nursing facility at
the Miacomet Road location; however, the Board cannot commit future Boards to
this. Ultimately, continued funding is up to the voters.
4)With only 40 beds to begin with, will the new facility be able to expand to more beds if
needed? Will the new facility over its lifetime be adaptable to changes in community
needs? One of the benefits of the small house model is that it can be flexible both
with number of beds and “type” of beds. All 45 beds at the current facility are
generally not filled 100%, 100% of the time.
5)With regard to the model, can we commit to a more home-like atmosphere without
necessarily committing to a small house/GreenHouse® model? Can we go forward with
a flexible hybrid design to be developed by the building committee and then implement
the operational plan? The home-like atmosphere is one of the guiding principles of
the Small House model and it can certainly be flexible within a range of possible
designs.
6)Can we, in more depth, revisit with architects and engineers the possibilities of the
current location to see what could possibly be done with the current building in place?
The Board of Selectmen is not inclined to spend additional funds revisiting the
current site. While it is within the realm of possibility to construct the new facility
at the current site, the operational and logistical challenges of doing so while
operating the current facility are significant, not realistic and advice from industry
professionals indicates that DPH approval would be unlikely.
The work group is not comfortable with the presentations to date concerning both the current
site and the site abutting Sherburne Commons and what could be placed on either one.
Moreover, dependable demographic information is needed in order to build a facility that can
adjust to potential changes in size and use over the next thirty years. Just as Nantucket Cottage
Hospital has adopted the motto ”Building the Right Hospital for Nantucket,” we must build the
right Our Island Home for Nantucket.