Next Tuesday, Blaine County voters will decide whether the sale of the county-owned Blaine Manor and the subsequent delivery of those funds to a local nonprofit foundation is a wise path for the county to ensure future care for the elderly.
The May 22 advisory vote, which only requires a simple majority to pass, would allow the county to sell the 25-bed Blaine Manor in Hailey and transfer responsibility for running a county nursing home to the private Croy Canyon Ranch Foundation.
The Blaine County Commission gave an unanimous thumbs up Tuesday to a service agreement that would allow the sale and the transfer of funds to proceed if county voters approve the transaction.
Advising the commissioners before their vote was Blaine County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Tim Graves.
"I've reviewed this agreement numerous times," Graves said. "I'm convinced it protects our interests as best as possible."
If next Tuesday's vote is successful and the net proceeds from the sale of Blaine Manor are eventually transferred to the Croy Canyon Ranch Foundation, the nonprofit group would be responsible for building and operating a new $20 million continuing care facility in Croy Canyon, west of Hailey. As a requirement under a 10-year contract for services with the county, the facility would be open for all residents in Blaine County.
If voters approve the sale, Croy Canyon Ranch, a continuing care retirement community, would replace the existing Blaine Manor. Also included in the service agreement approved on Tuesday is a stipulation that whomever purchases Blaine Manor must lease the building back for continuing use as a skilled nursing home until at such time the new Croy Canyon Ranch facility is completed.
The new facility would be built one mile west of Hailey in Croy Canyon on 20 acres of land owned by the foundation.
The construction of Croy Canyon Ranch would be funded from the net proceeds from the sale of Blaine Manor in addition to entry fees and separate fund-raising efforts.
Under the foundation's agreement with the county, all current Blaine Manor residents would be transferred to the Croy Canyon Ranch once it opens for business. The service agreement with Blaine County also requires the foundation to provide 16 Medicaid beds in the skilled nursing portion of the facility.
Unlike Blaine Manor, the new Croy Canyon Ranch facility would include a mixture of independent living and assisted-living facilities rather than just being a traditional, stand-alone nursing home.
Because proceeds from the sale of Blaine Manor would only pay for a portion of the building costs for the new facility, the foundation anticipates having to raise additional funds from outside private sources.
In the event that those fund-raising efforts fall through, the county would be protected, Graves noted Tuesday.
The county would not be required under the service agreement to help offset such a lack of funds to help the construction of the facility proceed, he explained.
"The county is not bound," Graves said.
Perhaps the main argument supporting the upcoming vote is the approximately $600,000 to $700,000 Blaine County will no longer be adding to its annual budget to support the operation of Blaine Manor.
As things currently stand, the cost of operating the facility is just too much of a financial drain on the county, Blaine County Commissioner Sarah Michael said last week.
"It's too large a portion of our budget," Michael said.
County election
On Tuesday, May 22, polls will be open for the county election from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Absentee voting is already taking place and will continue until the day before the election.
Here is a complete list of Blaine County polling locations:
· Precinct No. 12: Carey City Hall, 20482 N. Main St., Carey.
· Precinct No. 11: Silver Creek C-Store, 18918 U.S. Highway 20, Picabo.
· Precinct No. 10: Bellevue Elementary School Library, 305 N. Fifth St., Bellevue.
· Precincts No. 6, 7, 8 and 14: Hailey Community Campus, Room 301-302, 1050 Fox Acre Road, Hailey.
· Precincts No. 1, 2, 3 and 4: Ketchum City Hall, 480 East Avenue North, Ketchum.
· Precincts No. 5 and 13: Sun Valley City Hall, 81 Elkhorn Road, Sun Valley.
· Precinct No. 9: Yale—mail only.
· Precinct No. 15: Absentee, Old Blaine County Courthouse, 206 First Avenue South, Hailey.
For additional election information, log on to the county's Web site at www.co.blaine.id.us.
Express file photo
Blaine County is asking county voters to weigh in on whether it should sell the Blaine Manor senior center in Hailey.
