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Hearing on Care Center Will Continue on Thursday

Monticello, NY – Legislators today unanimously agreed to extend this morning’s public hearing to Thursday, July 16, 2020 to further hear comment from the community about the potential sale of the Care Center at Sunset Lake in Liberty.

“We had more people today who wanted to speak than we could accommodate,” said Legislature Chairman Robert A. Doherty. “We want to hear from everyone who wishes to weigh in, pro or con, before we make this significant decision, so we’ll continue the public hearing this Thursday at 3 p.m. in the Hearing Room of the Government Center in Monticello.”

As part of the ongoing response to the serious fiscal crisis Sullivan County is facing, legislators are considering transferring the Care Center (also known as the Sullivan County Adult Care Center) to a Local Development Corporation (LDC), as a first step toward selling the nursing home and short-term rehabilitation facility.

Subsequent to Thursday’s hearing, the Legislature will vote on transferring the Care Center to the Sunset Lake LDC, a nonprofit corporation created by the County to handle the sale of the nursing home and the land on which it sits.

The LDC features three members appointed by the County Manager, and if authorized by legislators, they will be tasked with carrying out the bonding and finding a real estate firm to market the Care Center. They then will choose the most responsible party interested in the Care Center and initiate a sale. Selection criteria will include not just the offer price but the track record of the buyer and the quality of care they promise to provide.

Comments on the proposed transfer to the LDC will be taken in person at the July 16 public hearing. Attendees should be aware that COVID-19 rules limit the Hearing Room’s capacity to no more than 50 individuals, typically split half and half between public/press and County employees. Speakers will be admitted to the room on a first-come, first-served basis.

Comments alternatively can be submitted in writing no later than close of business on July 15 via email to Annmarie.martin@sullivanny.us or via mail to Clerk of the Legislature AnnMarie Martin, 100 North Street, Monticello, NY 12701.