Florence Health Care closes doors Tuesday
An event of major economic impact to Florence was discussed at the city council meeting Monday.
Sarah Cope, who heads the Florence Economic Development Committee, spent most of last week trying to contact owners and attorneys in search of solid information about the status of Florence Health Care. The nursing home is the community's largest employer.
See story elsewhere in this issue regarding the closing.
Cope told the council she had been in touch with Florence Health Care's parent company, Horizon Group, and its attorney. The only statement either would make was that the state is cutting down on funding for mental health, leaving the home no choice but to close.
"Based on rumors in the community about a lawsuit, I contacted the clerk of the district court and found out that a suit has been filed by the former owners of the home for non-payment. Allegedly, Horizon hasn't been making its payments, although no one would confirm that," Cope said.
"Horizon Group has asked for a jury trial so this could be in litigation for some time," she said.
Cope said the court clerk told her that a pre-trial hearing has been set for Sept. 25. She added that as long as there is a legal issue pending, there is not much of anything either the city or the economic development committee can do.
"I asked all the parties I talked to to let me know as soon as there was some information one way or another," Cope said. "I explained that Florence Health Care is our largest employer and we, as a community, need to know where we stand and whether or not there is something we can do."
City ownership not advised
Cope said she had also been on the phone to other nursing homes in the area, looking for guidance and advice from administrators and owners. "They were helpful," she said. "But they all discouraged the idea of having the city buy the home. They said that is something to absolutely stay away from."
The council expressed its appreciation for the research Cope had done and asked that she continue to gather what information might be available.
"I will definitely stay on top of this and keep you posted," she replied. "There just isn't anything we can do now, but I will stay in touch with the parties involved."
In other business, the city council approved a vicious dog ordinance drawn up by city attorney, Dan Baldwin. Mayor Jeanie Meirowsky told the council that it was patterned after ordinances used in other cities and it would be enforceable.
Estelle McCarty was present to request some patching be done to Grandview Circle. Dan Ludwig promised to review the pavement on the street and look into making the necessary repairs.
US-50 intersections
McCarty also asked if there was anyway volunteers could be used to compile information on the number of accidents and fatalities at the U.S.-50/U.S.-77 intersection so that the city could get the attention of the KDOT. McCarty was concerned by the number of recent accidents at the intersection.
The council agreed that a problem exists. McCarty was told that councilman Ludwig and city superintendent Stuart Funk recently attended a meeting with the KDOT in Topeka. They were told that the U.S.-50/8th Street intersection in Florence would be closed because of too many accidents.
Though Ludwig and Funk argued with the officials, there was no interest by KDOT in looking at the statistics. "I'm afraid they are not interested in hearing any facts," Mayor Meirowsky told McCarty. "Researching the accident reports would be a big project and I doubt you would get anywhere, though you are welcome to try."
The council also accepted a lease purchase agreement with the Cottonwood Valley Bank for a new tractor, approved the sale of the old fire truck, approved the purchase of rear tires for the trash truck, and agreed to a one time water bill reduction for two citizens who had water leaks last month.
An executive session requested by police chief Creighton Smith was tabled when Smith was called to an accident on U.S.- 77.
