Committee hears Our Island Home update; pro forma due, closure cost estimated at $3.2 million

The Capital Program Committee heard updates on the long‑running Our Island Home project, including a timeline for an independent pro forma and an estimated closure cost if the construction appropriation is not ultimately enacted.

Town staff told the committee that they contracted CliftonLarsonAllen to prepare a pro forma to model operating costs, revenues, debt service and sensitivity scenarios; staff said the firm has begun work and the committee should receive a detailed pro forma in February. A staff presentation also summarized the project’s history, noting prior design funding of $8,500,000 and that a $116,000,000 construction appropriation failed to win the two‑thirds vote at the 2025 annual town meeting but later passed a separate election.

Why it matters: committee members said the pro forma is necessary to understand how much additional taxpayer support the town might need, how debt service would be amortized, and how the operating override could change over time. Staff warned that if the project returns to the warrant and again fails, a phased closure process has been discussed and some closure steps—such as resident relocation—carry material cost and timing implications.

Key facts and figures from the meeting:
• Closure estimate: "The duration of a closure could be as short as 120 days, and the estimated cost was $3,200,000," a town staff member said during the presentation. The committee was told the closure analysis was largely prepared by the facility’s administrator.
• Design funds previously approved: $8,500,000 (approved at the 2022 annual town meeting).
• Construction appropriation noted in staff materials: $116,000,000 (failed to achieve two‑thirds at the 2025 annual town meeting; later approved at an election).
• Outstanding prior authorizations and bonds: staff reported roughly $8.5 million of previously authorized borrowing remains outstanding; that debt will be included in future debt‑service calculations.
• Independent pro forma: CliftonLarsonAllen engaged; staff said the firm has a statement of work and a delivery target of February.

On fundraising, the committee was clear that the town has legal limits on direct municipal fundraising. Staff said a private nonprofit, Friends of Our Island Home (a 501(c)(3)), exists and has taken some donations but has not secured large private gifts at a scale that would materially reduce borrowing needs.

Committee members challenged the reliability of a community survey staff used to gauge support—one committee member called it a "push" survey and staff acknowledged it was not a representative sample and was intended as a board tool rather than a statistically representative poll.

Next steps: staff said bid packages and sub‑bids will arrive before the March meeting and the guaranteed maximum price (GMP) package will be available for review then; the pro forma will arrive earlier in February. The select board previously voted to place the project on the warrant and warned voters that failure to approve it again could lead over time to closure steps.

The meeting transcript does not specify the calendar date of this committee meeting.