Suffolk Legislature restores $10 million for planning renovations at former Foley nursing home, approves omnibus capital package

The Suffolk County Legislature approved an amended omnibus capital program on June 3 that restores $10 million in serial bonds for planning work on renovations to the former John J. Foley Skilled Nursing Home in Yaphank.

The amendment, offered on the floor and adopted before the omnibus vote, moves $10 million back into 2026 for design and planning and retains a $10 million construction allocation in 2027. Presiding Officer McCaffrey and capital budget chair Legislator Anthony Piccirillo framed the change as a means to avoid losing a year of planning progress.

"If we don't get this money — I mean, in the budget and then appropriated next year, we won't be able to proceed. We'll lose a full year in developing or redeveloping that building," said Commissioner of Public Works Charlie Bartha in response to lawmakers' questions about the project. Bartha said demolition and limited preparatory work are under way using existing appropriations and that the newly restored planning funds would allow the county to hire an architect and finalize a development program before committing to a construction budget.

Lawmakers pressed the administration for more detail on the building's planned future use before full construction funding is requested. "Next year when you come back for that money, we'd like to have a more detailed plan as to how we expect to utilize that facility and how it can be a cost savings to the County in the long run," the Presiding Officer said.

The omnibus package — advanced to the floor after committee review and a floor amendment — passed on a recorded roll call with the body voting to approve the omnibus as amended.

Votes at a glance - Amendment to restore $10M in planning for Foley Nursing Home (CP 1841): Motion adopted on the floor (amendment passed; amendment vote recorded and then omnibus vote followed). - Omnibus Capital Program (as amended): Adopted by the Legislature on a recorded vote (clerk recorded quorum and vote).

Why it matters County officials said restoring the planning allocation allows the Legislature and Administration to complete design work and to evaluate reuse options — from health-care to other county services — before committing major construction dollars. Supporters argued the restoration accelerates a stalled asset back into productive use; some members sought additional detail before approving future construction phases.

What’s next Commissioner Bartha said the County would use the planning allocation to hire architects and return next year with a finalized plan and construction schedule. Lawmakers also signaled interest in preserving the building’s historic name association with John J. Foley even if its use is repurposed.

Source and provenance Reporting for this article is based on on-the-record remarks and roll-call votes recorded in the Suffolk County Legislature general meeting transcript (topic introduction SEG 765; discussion and Commissioner Bartha remarks SEG 810–SEG 831).