Green Acres remains on county agenda

By MaryHelen Swanson
The issue of building a new nursing home to replace the Green Acres Country Care Center in North Branch remains alive on the county board table.
Financial options were discussed at last weekís meeting. The county could issue General Obligation Temporary Nursing Home Revenue Bonds, or a 30-year Taxable General Obligation Nursing Home Revenue Bond or have two bond issues: a Taxable G.O. for $12.2 million and tax-exempt G.O. for $1 million.
Board chairman Commissioner Ben Montzka continues to push for build-sell, to get the county out of the nursing home business.
Commissioner Lora Walker said she has always been for build-sell, but that doesnít necessarily mean sell when the building is completed, she said.
Commissioner Bob Gustafson is looking for a ìwin-winî situation for everyone but said he is not ìhung upî on build-sell.
Commissioner Mike Robinson continues to push for building the nursing home and worrying about a sale later. He did, however, stress that he does not want the nursing home to be sold to a private, for-profit organization.
Commissioner Rick Olseen said heíd support build-sell whether it is in one year or 10 years.
The board directed bond counsel and the county accounting firm to continue to check into the financing options with the two bond option being a priority.
In other business regarding the new nursing home, the board moved to have Olseen and Walker, along with the county attorney, county auditor and acting county coordinator negotiate with the Board of Social Ministry, the operators of the present Green Acres facility, on terms of a potential sale of the nursing home.
The board further moved to have the county coordinator work with the Clayton Anderson family, who offered a piece of land for the nursing home at a reduced price of $5,000 per acre, the city of North Branch and the Board of Social Ministry to develop a purchase agreement for the land contingent upon the approval of all related parties, to do engineering studies, architectural plans, site plat and applications for rezoning and submission of an amended site plan to the state of Minnesota.
The county will have to pay a rezoning fee of $125. The money will come from the nursing home fund.

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