Speakers favor nursing home

By MaryHelen Swanson, Barbara Brown and Danielle Strenke
With three public hearings completed as of press time, the consensus of speakers at the Green Acres new nursing home discussions appears to be running toward the construction of a new facility.
The biggest drawback, it seems, is selling the current nursing home property, sized at more than 100 acres.
On Tuesday, Feb. 18, about 80 people gathered at North Branch High School where a majority of speakers, many employees at Green Acres, supported the new nursing home project.
Some, like Teresa DeWitt, a nurse manager at Green Acres stressed the importance of the proposed adjacent medical clinic.
An activities director at Green Acres had a letter from a residents on the second floor who worried about getting out in case of a fire. The resident, she said, also cited the need for the clinic.
Ron Perreault, physical plant director at Green Acres, said he supports the project, adding he is aware of things in the current building that need repaired.
Christie Fisk, Green Acres assistant activities director and volunteer coordinator, brought with her a letter signed by 25 residents supporting the new home.
Former County Commissioner Bob Vande Kamp said it was imperative that the county work toward a solution that would provide long-term care for people of all financial situations.
Regarding the location, Vande Kamp said the proposed site west of I-35 off CR 68 (Falcon Ave.) was determined to be suitable by many different entities including the county, the city of North Branch, the Green Acres Board of Directors and the Board of Social Ministry.
Ruby Flowers of Lent Township challenged Vande Kamp saying any time you take real estate (the proposed 20 acres) off the tax rolls, taxpayers lose.
But county resident Mike LeVasseur pointed out that 105 aces (the current Green Acres site) would go on the tax rolls.
North Branch resident Bob Walz was concerned for the rate increases that would be needed in a new nursing home. Somebodyís picking up the cost, he said.
Someone who has changed opinions about the proposal was Syl Marking who said he opposed it because the present site is a beautiful place.
But now, he told the group, he feels the process has been thorough and that timing is a factor because of the opportunity to get assistance from the state.
On the question of what happens to the graveyard at the Green Acres site, County Administrator James Thoreen said that portion would not be sold.
The people in North Branch were told there is an 18-month window to take advantage of the nursing home moratorium exception, the process by which the state will provide the $12 million to the county.
If the county has not broken ground on the project within that time frame, the state aid will be gone.
Other issues that arose at that meeting included moving the new home to Wyoming, not selling the land and using the building for county offices, is BSM going to benefit from the project, especially if they buy the nursing, can the county sell the nursing home now and would the state still offer the funding if the proposal changed and the new home was built on the same site?
In all, about 20 people spoke in North Branch.
Only a few residents attended the Wyoming forum, Feb. 20 at Wyoming City Hall.
Several members of the audience were employees or families of employees of Green Acres.
Curtis DeYoung, Fish Lake Township, supported the idea of building a new nursing home.
But he asked how the proposed expansion of the Hwy. 95 bridge over I-35 and proposed ramps onto CR17 would impact the nursing home project.
Montzka said he didnít think they would negatively impact the nursing home at all if it is built in the proposed location.
Mork said the bridge projects were taken into consideration when the site and construction plans were made for a new nursing home.
He said the proposed timeline of the Hwy. 95 bridge construction and the proposed 2005 construction completion date of the new Green Acres may end up working out so neither project will negatively impact the other.
As per the plan, the commissioners will take the comments into consideration.

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