Chautauqua County Home in Dunkirk, NY.

MAYVILLE – It’s going to be a busy night at the County Seat in Mayville as the Chautauqua County Legislature holds its monthly voting session.

Topping the list of items on tonight’s agenda is a resolution to sell the Chautauqua County Home in Dunkirk to VestraCare for $16 million. Since January of 2013, the legislature has tried three times to sell the skilled nursing facility with little success. However, with a new legislature in place for 2014, supporters of privatizing the county home seem confident that there will be enough votes tonight for the sale to go forward.

Earlier this month, legislators spent nearly an hour-and-a-half questioning VestraCare vice president Edward Farbenblum and administrator Shannon Cayea-Delker to learn more about their operation and what the future holds for the skilled nursing facility in Dunkirk, should a purchase take place.

During his Feb. 5 presentation, Farbenblum assured lawmakers that he takes a hands-on approach to running his facilities and if any issues or problems were to come up following the sale, he could be directly contacted by lawmakers. “My absolute promise to you is that the buck stops here. If you’re a county legislature in this county you’ll have my cell phone number and you’ll have Shannon’s cell phone number and if you have a problem you can call one of us.”

Chautauqua County Legislator Terry Niebel (R-Dunkirk) talks with VestraCare’s Edward Farbenblum following a Q&A session with the legislature on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014.

Not all lawmakers are in favor of the sale. While 13 of the 19 members need to approve it, five are expected to vote against the sale. They are North County legislators Keith Alhstrom, Shaun Heenan, Janet Keith, Terry Neibel and Bob Scudder. Also, at least one news outlet is reporting that Legislator Chairman Jay Gould is ill and will most likely miss tonight’s meeting. Meaning that if one other legislator votes against the sale or is unable to attend, it will not go forward.

The selling of the county home has been a contentious issue with lawmakers since it was first proposed by former County Executive Greg Edwards in 2011. Proponents say selling the home will remove unnecessary costs in county government, while opponents of the sale say privatization will reduce the quality of care for the resident at the Dunkirk-based facility.

Tonight’s meeting begins at 6:30 in the legislative chambers in Mayville. It will be open to the public and any resident or group wishing to speak out on the matter will be allowed to do so at the beginning of the meeting.

Chautauqua County Home in Dunkirk, NY.

MAYVILLE – The President of the union that works at the Chautauqua County Home says he heard some positive things from a group of buyers who want to buy the skilled nursing facility, but they also left a few of his questions unanswered.

CSEA Chautauqua County Unit President Steve Skidmore represents the 280 employees who work at the county home in Dunkirk and who are fighting to keep the facility publicly owned by the county. Skidmore says that while representatives from VestraCare said that they would employee the same number of employees, if not more, while also providing similar wages, he said the didn’t guarantee the current employees would be able to keep their jobs.

He also said the representatives were not clear about a possible tax break they would be getting from the county for $1 million in upgrades that are included in the proposed contract. “It’s right in this agreement that they will get a million dollar PILOT program from the IDA, so when they say they’re going to spend a million dollars to improve the Chautauqua County Home, they’re going to spend IDA money and taxpayers money to improve the home. That’s not their money.”

The county legislature will be acting Feb. 26 on the sale of the home for $16 million to VestraCare. In the meantime, Skidmore says he will continue to try and persuade lawmakers that selling the home would be the wrong decision.

The Post-Journal reported earlier this month that about 170 employees signed a petition saying they’d be willing to break from the union and re-negotiate a contract with the county to find a way to reduce costs and keep the facility publicly owned. Skimdore says he is aware of that effort, but also says the union has been willing to make concessions throughout the process.

“They weren’t positive the union was doing enough to negotiate the changes,” Skinner explained. “But two years ago the we tried to talk with Greg Edwards and he refused at every letter we sent to him. He never would sit down and negotiate… I doubt that [Vince] Horrigan is going to do that just because he’s going to worry about the sale first. If the sale doesn’t go through then we’ll sit down with him.”

On Feb. 5, Edward Farbenblum and Shannon Cayea-Delker from VestraCare talked with the legislature for an hour-and-a-half about their new offer to buy the county home.  While some lawmakers appear to be against the sale, it looks as though the proposal would have enough of the 13 votes needed in order for it to go forward.

VestraCare administrator Shannon Cayea-Delker and vice president Edward Farbenblum respond to one of the questions that was posed to them during a special meeting of the Chautauqua County Legislature on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014.

MAYVILLE – “Our mission is to help people.” That was the reassuring message delivered by the company that wants to purchase the Chautauqua County Home for $16 million when it met with the Chautauqua County Legislature on Wednesday.

During a special work session, legislators spent nearly an hour-and-a-half questioning VestraCare vice president Edward Farbenblum and administrator Shannon Cayea-Delker to learn more about their operation and what the future holds for the skilled nursing facility in Dunkirk, should a purchase take place.

• READ PROPOSED VESTRACARE CONTRACT

Farbenblum, who also spoke to the legislature in August and in October of last year, reiterated his company’s plan for senior care and why they are looking to purchase the County Home.

“It’s about expanding program lines and its about that more difficult, more acute resident who needs a more hands-on, higher skill level of care,” Farbenblum said. “We believe that this facility, for a whole bunch of demographic reasons and physical plant reasons, is ripe to be converted into that facility – the vision that we are planning.”

During the Q & A with lawmakers, legislator Fred Larson (D-Jamestown) asked specifically about Vestracares benefits for employees. Cayea-Delker and Farbenblum both confirmed that the company’s contribution for both retirement and healthcare would be significantly less than what the county is paying. Larson said that alone would result in an operating budget that is $1.5 million less than what the county is currently paying, adding that it’s no mystery how VestraCare could turn a profit on the home, even though the county can not.

“We hand the keys to you… and you’re a million-and-a-half to the good before you change anything else,” Larson explained. “So its no mystery to me and it’s no mystery to the employees at the home, it’s not a mystery to the people that maybe feel badly about the county selling this. How could you do something that we can’t do? There’s two simple answers.”

Farbenblum also said that any employee that currently works at the facility would be given the opportunity to continue working there, following a screening process that includes a background check and drug testing.

Chautauqua County Legislator Terry Niebel (R-Dunkirk) talks with VestraCare’s Edward Farbenblum following a Q&A session with the legislature on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014.

As for the care of the 218 residents in the home, which has been one of the main concern for many in the north county, Cayea-Delker assured the legislature and county residents that all residents would receive the same level of care, if not greater because VestraCare plans to increase staffing in some areas. She also said that any of the indigent residents currently living in the facility would also still have a home there, once a sale went through – regardless of their financial situation.

“I am a social worker, by background, and I am a ‘bleading heart.’ In no way, shape or form do we intend to evict any resident because [they are indigent]. We will assist them in finding a payer source.”

Legislators also questioned the timeline of when VestraCare would begin expanding operations, with both Farbenblum and Cayea-Delker saying that new services could begin within a year or two after they purchase the home.

The most contentious portion of the Q&A was between legislator Terry Niebel (R-Dunkrik) and Farbenblum. Niebel feels that the $16million offer by VestraCare is far below what it is actually worth, saying the number could actually be twice the asking price. However, Farbenblum countered by saying that the market dictates the price and based on his company’s analysis, $16 million was the number they felt most comfortable in offering, given the investments they plan to make in the future along with the taxes they’ll be paying on the property if it were to be privatized.

The selling of the county home has been a contentious issue with lawmakers since it was first proposed by former County Executive Greg Edwards in 2011. Since then the county has spent money on a county home feasibility study by the Rochester, NY firm, Center for Governmental Research. The issue of selling the home also went before the legislature three times in 2013, although all three efforts – including one to VestraCare – were unsuccessful.  Proponents say selling the home will remove unnecessary costs in county government, while opponents of the sale say privatization will reduce the quality of care for the resident at the Dunkirk-based facility.

The next vote on the sale of the County Home will take place Feb. 26 at 6:30 in the legislative chambers in Mayville. It will be open to the public and any resident or group wishing to speak out on the matter will be allowed to do so at the beginning of the meeting.

During Wednesday night’s Chautauqua County Legislature voting session, Martin and Edward Farbenblum and Shannon Cayea-Delker from VestraCare addressed the county legislature and provided some basic information about their operations as well as the two other skilled nursing facilities they own and operate – which are located in Broome County and Ulster County – both in New York State.

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While addressing members of the legislature, Edward Farbenblum explained that if the purchase goes through – he and his partners plan to use the model they’ve implemented at their two other facilities here in Chautauqua County. He said that includes expanding services to better treat patients in their care.

“The idea is to provide – off the back of a skilled nursing facility – the full spectrum of modalities of senior care and healthcare, Farbenblum said, adding, “so that every resident and every patient is provided with the appropriate modality of care rather than being sent to the most expensive modality of care.”

Also during their presentation, Cayea-Delker – who serves as the top administrator at the Susquehanna Nursing & Rehab Center in Broome County – said their goal would also be to develop a partnership with local hospitals.

“We have also worked with our local hospitals, which is a big niche for use,” Cayea-Delker explained. “We absolutely want to partner up with our local hospitals to provide programs for congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease…. and disease management to keep people from readmitting to the hospitals – both short term-patients and long-term patients.”

Following their presentation, legislature chairman Jay Gould refused to allow any questions to be asked – saying that would instead wait until a special meeting is scheduled in September. The date and time of that meeting has yet to be scheduled.

According to County Executive Greg Edwards, the group has offered to buy the home at the minimum asking price of $16.5 million. Following Wednesday’s meeting, he expressed his optimism for the latest prospective buyers.

“All of this makes me very excited because I believe this is going to be the right purchaser for our home,” Edwards said. “If you look at their proposal – and that will be distributed here widely – they want to dramatically expand the services that are being offered at the county home. Not just in more rehabilitation as they indicated they have done already in Ulster County, but they want to add assisted living, independent live, adult day care and specific modalities of care for people who have developmental disabilities. That is precisely what we have been looking for all along and I think this is exactly why the people of Chautauqua County should be as excited about this as I am.”

In 2012, the county hired the marketing firm of Marcus & Millichap out of Chicago to help locate a buyer for the home. Earlier this year, an offer had been made by Altitude Health Services of Chicago, but was voted down on two separate occasions by the legislature. Altitude Health offered to buy the home at a price of $16.5 million. Earlier this month, a second buyer came forward and also offered $16.5 million, but that deal was pulled from the table when the buyer failed to make a 10 percent good-faith deposit.

The latest group toured the Chautauqua County Home earlier in the day on Wednesday. It’s not yet know if the legislature will act on their bid to buy the home in October or November.