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Home My WebLink AboutEmail chain OIH Work Group 12_14_16From: Georgia Ann Snell [mailto:snellhotel@gmail.com] Sent: Thursday, December 15, 2016 10:27 AM To: Libby Gibson Subject: Re: Letter from Bob Ford Thank Libby ... I will keep in touch with you as we proceed. I know how hard your job is! And I appreciate the work that has gone behind the decisions made. Unfortunately it is not easy for people to attend some of the open meetings ... it has not been secret, for sure. The conspiracy thing is nonsense ... the issue for the Work Group remains the suitability of Sherbourne Commons and the model. I heard good things about the site visit made on Tuesday. So that issue may be put to rest. We can only hope! Merry Christmas and I hope you have a smooth abnd problem free New Year! Ha ha. Love, GA On Wed, Dec 14, 2016 at 4:23 PM, Libby Gibson <LGibson@nantucket-ma.gov> wrote: Georgia – I appreciate the clarification, thank you. It seems that there is quite of bit of suspicion about this entire project – I get that people are often suspicious of government. I’ve been trying to find out and understand what facts there are that the work group members and others are relying on for many of the comments I am seeing and hearing about – but I’m still not sure what they are. In any case, please see my responses below regarding your email. C. Elizabeth Gibson Town Manager Town of Nantucket (508) 228-7255 From: Georgia Ann Snell [mailto:snellhotel@gmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, December 14, 2016 9:31 AM To: Libby Gibson Cc: Frances Karttunen; Rachel Day; cliffack@yahoo.com; Dawn Hill Holdgate; Tim and Kate Soverino; Alison K Forsgren; VIRGINIA; Julie Fitzgerald Subject: Re: Letter from Bob Ford Hi Libby, I think we felt that it was premature ... and no one on the Work Group as far as I knew were aware of Mr. Ford's letter until it was brought up by a local citizen at our meeting. His letter is pretty specific, which certainly seems like the final decision of the BOS has already been made. Perhaps this is where there is a “disconnect” somehow: on May 4, 2016, the Board of Selectmen voted, unanimously – at a public meeting – to proceed with moving Our Island Home to the Sherburne Commons site; and to construct a new 40-bed facility following the “Small House” model. Please click here and watch the discussion starting at 44 minutes in, click here to view and ends on a 2nd video 19 minutes in, click here to see this video. The Board of Selectmen has made a decision – publicly, not in secret. At the first meeting of the Work Group, I made note of this decision; and, that the Board would be proceeding with planning for the facility concurrent with the Work Group. It is the job of Town Administration to implement decisions of the Board, this is one, and we are working to implement it. At the May 4, 2016 meeting, after the Board’s vote, I was asked to review next steps, which I did, see below – this was in the Agenda Packet http://nantucket- ma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/05042 016-3722 Next Steps Board of Selectmen decision on site (which was decided 5-0 to be Sherburne Commons) Public outreach Development of warrant article(s) for fall Special Town Meeting* Site preparation and negotiations with Land Bank or others to secure area needed Determination of Need through Mass. Department of Public Health Development of alternative care model details (ie, staffing, costs, regulatory requirements, etc) Develop RFP for professional services to assist with financial forecasting for alternative care model *it was later determined that this would be done for 2017 Annual Town Meeting • That may not have been his intent, but you can understand how it came across to us who are trying to make more public the needs of a new nursing home, what style to use and where it will be located. Nor did we know or at least I was unaware of the website Mr. Ford established. The existence of the website also came up at the first meeting – one of the Work Group members asked about it and I explained it. Again, Mr. Ford’s assistance was solicited well before the Work Group ever came about – he is doing just what we asked/he offered to do. He is a private citizen and is helping us on his own time and his own “dime”. It has been suggested repeatedly over the years to utilize the professional expertise of our local citizens when possible – this was a good opportunity to do just that. Mr. Ford has been very helpful with suggesting ways in which to get information out about the project. At this point, while we don’t have a link to his website on the Town’s website we do have GenoTV interviews of Human Services Director Rachel Day and also an interview with Darcy Creech. Please see here http://nantucket-ma.gov/749/Proposed- New-OIH for these postings and others such as the OIH Feasibility Study Presentation and the OIH Public Forum at the Dreamland in November 2015. I assume other people have known about it in Town circles, and perhaps it has been spread by other vehicles? Don't know. Just wanted you to hear from my perspective how the letter Mr. Ford wrote seemed to those of us who knew nothing about it. I have sent out an email to the Interfaith Council members in light of the letter to update them on what is going on ... that is the appointment of the Work Group and what is trying to be accomplished. Thanks, Libby, Georgia Ann On Tue, Dec 13, 2016 at 6:29 PM, Libby Gibson <LGibson@nantucket-ma.gov> wrote: Fran: Are you asking a question? If so, it isn't clear from your email below. It sounds like from what I've been told with posts on Facebook and comments at the Work Group meeting yesterday that there is a feeling from the Work Group and others that there is some kind of "secret campaign" the Town has embarked on with Bob Ford. Bob Ford is a local citizen who approached me over a year ago with an offer to help with any Town projects in terms of supporting them in the community and helping to prepare and/or review letters and/or other documents explaining the projects. At no charge. Volunteer effort. He helped prepare some documents for the Nantucket Harbor Shimmo Sewer project; and, around last June or July, I asked him if he might consider helping with community outreach for Our Island Home -- AFTER the Board of Selectmen voted to pursue constructing a new facility at Sherburne Commons and BEFORE the Special Town Meeting that established the Work Group was even scheduled. Regarding his letter, "spearhead" might be an overstatement but he offered to help with an important Town project, at no charge, he set up a website at his expense and printed up the cards, at his expense. Is there a problem? It's certainly not a secret, he supports the project that the Board voted for and is willing to go talk to community groups about it. C. Elizabeth Gibson Town Manager Town of Nantucket (508) 228-7255 -----Original Message----- From: Frances Karttunen [mailto:karttu@comcast.net] Sent: Monday, December 12, 2016 9:00 PM To: Libby Gibson; Rachel Day; cliffack@yahoo.com; Dawn Hill Holdgate; Tim and Kate Soverino; Alison K Forsgren; VIRGINIA; Georgia Ann Snell; Julie Fitzgerald Subject: Letter from Bob Ford Libby, At the December 8 meeting of the OIH work group, a member of the public brought to the work group’s members’ attention a letter from Bob Ford to the Rev. Gary Klingsporn. This week a member of the work group also had the letter, and the contents were made known to the group. In it Mr. Ford says he is writing at the request of Rachel and yourself to seek help for a campaign to carry forward specific plans for the future OIH and to enlist the pastors of Nantucket churches in forwarding this effort to influence voting at the April 1 Annual Town Meeting. According to Rachel, her sole interaction with Mr. Ford has been to meet with one group at his request. Display of laminated business cards advertising the website OIHFuture.com have been permitted at Our Island Home, however. We were assured that the website is strictly Mr. Ford’s and is not sponsored by the Town of Nantucket or Our Island Home. Mr. Ford, in his letter, seems to state that he is acting on behalf of the town administrator and the administrator of OIH. The letter is attached to this message. Frances Karttunen Chair, OIH workgroup ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Frances Karttunen <karttu@comcast.net> To: Libby Gibson <LGibson@nantucket-ma.gov>, Rachel Day <RDay@nantucket-ma.gov>, "cliffack@yahoo.com" <cliffack@yahoo.com>, Dawn Hill Holdgate <dhillholdgate@nantucket- ma.gov>, Tim and Kate Soverino <acksov@hotmail.com>, Alison K Forsgren <alisonkforsgren@gmail.com>, VIRGINIA <gingernantucket@comcast.net>, Georgia Ann Snell <snellhotel@gmail.com>, Julie Fitzgerald <jfitzlaw@comcast.net> Cc: Date: Tue, 13 Dec 2016 02:00:13 +0000 Subject: Letter from Bob Ford Libby, At the December 8 meeting of the OIH work group, a member of the public brought to the work group’s members’ attention a letter from Bob Ford to the Rev. Gary Klingsporn. This week a member of the work group also had the letter, and the contents were made known to the group. In it Mr. Ford says he is writing at the request of Rachel and yourself to seek help for a campaign to carry forward specific plans for the future OIH and to enlist the pastors of Nantucket churches in forwarding this effort to influence voting at the April 1 Annual Town Meeting. According to Rachel, her sole interaction with Mr. Ford has been to meet with one group at his request. Display of laminated business cards advertising the website OIHFuture.com have been permitted at Our Island Home, however. We were assured that the website is strictly Mr. Ford’s and is not sponsored by the Town of Nantucket or Our Island Home. Mr. Ford, in his letter, seems to state that he is acting on behalf of the town administrator and the administrator of OIH. The letter is attached to this message. Frances Karttunen Chair, OIH workgroup