Select Board presents $110–$115 million plan to replace Our Island Home; final budget due April 9

NANTUCKET — Town officials and the project team presented details of a proposal to replace the town-owned skilled nursing facility known as Our Island Home, saying on multiple occasions that the current building is aging and that the new design would better meet modern regulatory and clinical needs.

Town Manager Libby Gibson, who led the presentation, said the town has studied the facility’s condition “for well over a decade” and that the current building, built in 1980, lacks the space and plant systems to meet future life-safety and regulatory standards. Gibson and project staff emphasized the facility’s role in keeping advanced care on the island for residents and their families.

The proposed project, sited at Sherburne Commons, carries a current construction estimate between $110 million and $115 million, the team said. John Lemieux, the owner’s project manager from Vertex, said about $8.5 million has already been appropriated for design, permitting and preconstruction work. The construction-phase bid package is in the market; Lemieux said the town will present a final contract number to the Select Board on April 9 and that the town will take the final budget to voters at town meeting for borrowing authorization.

Why it matters

The Select Board says replacing Our Island Home is necessary for safety, infection control and to preserve local access to skilled nursing and short-term rehabilitation on an island 30 miles from the mainland. Project leaders noted changes in state and federal infection-control guidance, and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid best practices favor single-occupancy rooms — a major design driver in the current plan.

Project details and schedule

- Capacity and design: The current licensed capacity is 45 beds. The proposed facility…