Leaders from both the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital and the Martha’s Vineyard Boys and Girls Club came before the Edgartown selectmen Monday to present proposals, answer questions and update the board on their substantial building proposals within the town.

Both organizations have signed agreements to buy land from the Norton family for unrelated projects.

The hospital plans to buy a 26-acre parcel off the Vineyard Haven-Edgartown Road for a new, 70-resident skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility that will include affordable housing.

A purchase and sale agreement was signed in December.

In her second appearance before the board, hospital CEO Denise Schepici said the Island’s current elder care facility, Windemere, loses about $2 million annually, making it financially unsustainable for the hospital. Staffing issues have cut the census from 86 beds to 48, and changing cultural norms have made prospective residents less interested in Windemere’s institutional feel, she said.

The hospital is proposing a Green House model facility that would include five houses, each with 12 to 14 beds for residents. There would also be workforce housing on the property, allowing for easy 24-hour access and care. Unlike Windemere, where most residents have to share rooms, the new facility would have private bathrooms and a communal living space, she said.

“It really is a home-like setting,” Ms. Schepici said.

Currently, about 90 per cent of residents at Windemere are on Medicaid. Ms. Schepici said modern elder care facilities need approximately one third private-pay residents to be financially sustainable. Because of its different model, the hospital expects that the new facility would have an easier time attracting private-pay residents.

“It’s Windemere on steroids,” Ms. Schepici said. “It’s a different model, but it’s the same level of care.”

Edgartown resident Jane Chittick questioned the business plan for the project.

The new facility would hopefully be a mix of private-pay and insurance residents, Ms. Schepici explained. Because of the increased capacity, all current Windemere residents would be able to transfer to the new facility, she also said. In prior testimony, hospital representatives said the facility would not be more than fifty per cent private pay.

Edgartown town administrator James Hagerty expressed enthusiasm for the proposal but said it was important for the town to consider tax ramifications. The project also hinges on receiving complicated wastewater and sewage easements across private property near Morgan Woods, and will require approval from the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, among other agencies.

“Good luck with the project,” selectman Arthur Smadbeck said.

In other business, representatives from the Boys and Girls Club requested an extension on a memorandum of understanding with the town for a proposal to buy a 21-acre parcel adjacent to the Westside Cemetery for a new facility.

Last spring, the club signed a purchase-and-sale agreement with the Norton family for the land, with the town listed as a partial partner in the transaction. The level of the town’s involvement needed to be hammered out in the interim, with complicated issues of natural heritage mitigation and a proposed expansion to the cemetery both factors.

“We were going to have an MOU, but we ran into some loopholes,” club board member Jeffrey Madison told selectmen.

Mr. Madison said various town boards had outlined 18 points of concern for the project, but that the club and the town had narrowed those down to three main issues, including problems with the transfer of a right of way, and the town’s involvement in the agreement.

With the deadline for town meeting warrant articles fast approaching, the club needs an MOU before the town will put the land deal on the warrant for voters to consider. Mr. Madison suggested a place-holder on the warrant that would allow town counsel to work with the club over the next few weeks to finalize the MOU.

“There’s been some talk about the disturbance of town land, the existing ballfields behind the school — suffice to say, we are so close,” Mr. Madison said. “I don’t believe that the remaining hurdles are significant. I think we can get there. It’s just a matter of time.”

After discussion, selectmen decided to put a place holder on the warrant, but Mr. Hagerty said it was important to get the fine details of the agreement sorted out soon. Selectmen set Jan. 21 as a date for the club to return to the board.

Town residents also sounded off on the VTA’s proposal to put an electric charging station at the Church Street bus terminal, questioning its location and plans to refurbish the area that involve the removal of shade trees. Ms. Chittick requested a referendum at town meeting to let voters decide on the project, but selectmen said that was not possible. Sara Piazza voiced broader concerns about bus traffic in the historic district.

Ms. Chittick also suggested electrifying the buses at the park and ride.

Selectman Michael Donaroma said the town was going to preserve two trees on the property, and Mr. Smadbeck defended the project, saying the town had embraced promoting renewable energy in the town. The residents were not fully satisfied.

“I’m all in favor of electrifying buses and cars and everything else,” Ms. Chittick said. “But I’m not in favor of it happening in the downtown historic district.”

“There are more issues here than the trees and the electric buses,” Ms. Piazza said.

Selectmen agreed that it would be appropriate to bring the VTA before the board once again to explain the need for having the electrification project at Church street. No date was set for the meeting.