Nantucket Finance Committee unanimously backs $25.8 million school stadium renovation

Finance Committee · Meeting of March 10, 2026

Nantucket Finance Committee unanimously recommends $25.8 million Capuzzo Stadium renovation and a $148.9 million FY27 operating budget. The committee voted 5-0 on both measures at its March 10 meeting, the final session before annual town meeting. School Superintendent Angela Michaelis presented a $45,574,847 school budget, a 5 percent increase over FY26, including $277,500 in one-time special education tuition costs and a separate $200,000 for new literacy curriculum to be funded by free cash.

Designer John McMeeking said the stadium project, which includes a synthetic turf field, a 980-seat ADA-compliant grandstand, and a regulation 400-meter track costing approximately $1.2 million, is expected to run 18 months of construction starting July 1, 2026. Town Assessor Rob reported that 2,442 tax-exempt parcels, roughly 59 percent of the island by land area, represent just under $5.9 billion in assessed value, prompting extended discussion about whether the town should pursue payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreements; Nantucket currently has only one formal PILOT, with the Nantucket Housing Authority.

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Source: the Finance Committee meeting of March 10, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.