Luzerne County Government

April 30, 2010

Salvation Army bid lone offer

The social service group wants the former Valley Crest nursing home for its rehab center.

By Jennifer Learn-Andes jandes@timesleader.com
Luzerne County Reporter
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The Salvation Army in Wilkes-Barre was the only bidder for Luzerne County’s former Valley Crest Nursing Home property in Plains Township, and the nonprofit organization’s bid met the county’s minimum asking price of $4.7 million.

The Salvation Army wants to move its adult rehabilitation center from Hazle Avenue in Wilkes-Barre to the former nursing home, expanding the client base from the current 50 male residents to an estimated 125, said Jerry Balara, general supervisor of the Wilkes-Barre Adult Rehabilitation Center.

The organization may also discuss the possibility of accepting female residents, he said.

“We’re looking at this as a facility for all of Northeastern Pennsylvania,” Balara said.

Balara said the Salvation Army has been in the Hazle Avenue facility since 1913, and that building is cramped and in need of repairs.

Funding to purchase the Valley Crest property is coming from Salvation Army headquarters, he said.

“We don’t have that kind of funding locally,” he said. “We’ve been asking for a new building for years.”

Men who stay at the current Wilkes-Barre rehabilitation center are often struggling with homelessness or drug and alcohol addiction. The men live at the center for six months to a year and must follow a “highly structured” program that provides education, counseling and assistance obtaining employment, Balara said.

Center residents also pick up and transport donated goods that are sold in seven Salvation Army stores in five counties, he said.

The bid, submitted through Joan Evans Real Estate and Appraisal, included a $470,000 cashier’s check as the required 10 percent deposit. The county would keep that deposit if commissioners accept the bid and the Salvation Army fails to enter into a contract.

The county is free to sell the 62.35-acre property because the nursing home operator, Dresher, Pa.-based Complete HealthCare, built and opened a new facility nearby. The facility, which was built in the 1950s and ’60s, is being sold in “as-is” condition, according to the county’s public advertisement. County officials say the building is structurally sound but outdated.

Revenue from the sale has not been factored in the 2010 county budget. All three county commissioners say they want to use the money to pay down the county’s $466 million in outstanding debt.

“I think it was a good offer,” said county Minority Commissioner Stephen A. Urban.

It’s unclear if zoning approval would be required. Commissioner Chairwoman Maryanne Petrilla said the bid specifications say that a sale would not be conditional on zoning approval.

Commissioners had turned over the nursing home license to Complete HealthCare in 2006 because the operation was draining millions from the county’s general fund annually. The county had a nursing home to ensure the indigent had care, but Complete HealthCare accepted that responsibility.

Jennifer Learn-Andes, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 831-7333.

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