The new employees have been warned

"People are mean."
These were former editor Melissa White's words to our new employees this past week.
Melissa was referring to what she felt were unfair comments she received while working at the paper.
She was the best editor this paper has had since I've worked here.
Being the editor of a community paper is hard work though.
The owners of the paper don't make much money, they can't afford to pay their people much, and yet everyone complains all the time that the staff does not do enough.
Why weren't you here, why weren't you there?
Remember, next time you see an employee of the paper out in the evening covering an event your children or grandchildren are in, this an evening they are not home with their own children.
The publishers and employees have lives of their own. Like many others, they are often asked to serve in other capacities in the community. Melissa was an Early Responder in Wellfleet, I am on the EDC board, and my wife is on the medical board.
Every evening we do something with those other organizations is another night we are not home with our own kids.
I am not complaining, I am just asking you all to cut the new employees a break.

Lots going on around the county in the next week

Boy, lots of stuff happening around here the next few days.
Tonight, there is a public meeting at the Star Theater in Curtis to discuss the new community center. Dr. George Garlick, the man responsible for the building, will be there along with representatives from Chief Construction, the project's winning contractor.
At the meeting the public will be asked to comment on the building's cost and layout. After hearing the comments a final design and price tag will be computed.

On Sunday Mr. Garlick will give a talk at the Maywood Community Hall on his new book, the subject of which examines Creationism and science's relationship with God.

Then next Monday a ceremonial ground breaking is scheduled at the building site. Once again George Garlick will be the featured guest.

Also Monday night Governor Dave Heineman will be in Eustis at their annual Chamber and Award banquet.

Finally some good news

Big news for the area this week and thank goodness it isn’t about another business closing.
The announcement that there are plans to build a 100 million gallon ethanol plant near Moorefield is welcome news for an area reeling from recent announcements of business closings. And while there are many individuals that have been involved with getting this project to its current stage there is one group that has been invaluable in this accomplishment, the Medicine Valley Economic Development Corporation.
The EDC board should be thanked for the announcement, for without the hard work of its board members on the announcement would not have been made.
While the completion of the plant is not guaranteed, there would be no possibility of its being built here without the tireless efforts of the EDC board.
It was the EDC that spearheaded the effort to get the variance on well restrictions at the plant site. It was the EDC that asked the county to rezone the site. It was the EDC that worked with area property owners on the option agreements. It was the EDC that hosted the MANY parties that expressed interest in developing the site the past couple of years. It was the EDC that prepared all of the appropriate materials needed for the sales presentations. It was the EDC who paid for the Corn Study that showed the area could support another ethanol plant. In short, it was the EDC that made it possible for the announcement to be made.
This is the second big action accomplished by the EDC board the past couple of weeks. For without the EDC board stepping in, there is a very good chance that Sunset Haven would be closing next week.
The EDC has been criticized by a variety of people for the things it has done, for the things it is perceived to have done, and for the things it has not done. Some of these are legitimate, some of them are not.
All I know is that the EDC has done everything it can to promote the area and try and recruit businesses here. But these type of efforts are slow moving and have a low rate of success, and unfortunately they often require a certain amount of secrecy.
But here is something that is not a secret. There is a pool of tax dollars that has been collected and is waiting to be used. These tax dollars are for local business development projects.
There is a specific amount of money set aside for a facade improvement program in downtown Curtis. There is business development money that is available for anyone in the Medicine Valley area who has a business idea they would like to explore.
But the EDC does not go out and try and find people to distribute the money to. If you are interested in these funds you need to apply for them. And putting your hand out and asking for something for nothing is not appropriate. If you have an idea for a new business, you will need a business plan and you will need to fill out an application. If you are an existing business you will need to bring us your expansion plans and documentation supporting your request.
If the application is deemed feasible they are supported. The EDC will then evaluate the application and forward it to the Curtis city council who has the final say on the use of these tax dollars.
Oh, one last thing. The EDC gave money in the form of a forgivable loan to Sunset Haven so they could buy a new kitchen range hood, but even Sunset Haven had to apply for these funds.
If you are happy that Sunset Haven has received a reprieve, or if you are excited about the new ethanol plant thank an EDC member. Because without them neither would be a reality.

Sunset Haven meeting a gentle thing

I just returned from the meeting at the Star Theater held by the Sunset Haven board. At the meeting we were told that the board was now interested in hearing what the public thought about the facility's future and they were excited to see what the public could bring to the table.

Boy, if this was only done six months ago.

There were many questions asked, but the one that was the most important was not answered in a satisfactory way.

When posed with the simple question, "What was it that made you to decide to close the place now?"
Basically the answer was, we decided to give up.

So far this fiscal year the nursing home is operating in the black. But in recent years that has not always been the case.
It was revealed at the meeting that the facility had lost about $250,000 four years ago.

How did this information never come out? Why wasn't the public informed of this?

Sunset Haven lost $152,000 last year, but this was not a cash loss. This was a depreciation loss.
Depreciation for the facility was about $145,000 last year. So the reality was there was about an $8,000 cash loss.

The year before the facility made about $16,000, this after funding the depreciation. This means there was about $160,000 more in the bank at the end of the year then at the beginning of the year.

The board was lucky those in attendance were interested in finding a solution and not interested in retribution.

But the matter of John Wilkinson's conflict was never addressed.

Time for a change at Sunset Haven

I think it’s time for a change. I believe Sunset Haven board president, and Curtis State Bank president John Wilkinson should step down from his position on the nursing home’s board.
I believe there is a serious conflict of interest for him with the current financial crisis at the nursing home.
Whether this is true or not is irrelevant, the perception is that there is a conflict and perception is reality.
Sunset Haven owes Curtis State Bank several hundred thousand dollars. The bank holds both an operating note and bonds secured by the facility. Sunset Haven is experiencing a severe financial crisis, and the person leading the effort to solve the crisis is one of its largest creditors.
If Sunset Haven’s and Curtis State Banks interests were always in alignment this wouldn’t be an issue. But since this is not the case I believe this is too much of a conflict. How can what is best for the bank be separated from what is best for the retirement home.
Why the topic of this obvious conflict has not been broached to this point is beyond me. Sunset Haven’s other board members should have confronted this issue long ago. But instead, at their most recent meeting, they reaffirmed their belief in Wilkinson’s leadership, voting unanimously in his support. Maybe it’s also time for other board members to step down.
I have heard and read stories concerning the Sunset Haven board working feverishly the past four months to find others in the community to help the facility out of its financial morass. I believe these stories to be misleading. Quotes in the North Platte Telegraph indicated the board had tried again and again to find financial help from various local institutions these past four months.
While it is true that in early-October the Medicine Valley Economic Development Corporation attempted to work with the Sunset Haven board in resolving its financial issue, this was done at the EDC’s request, not Sunset Haven’s.
The EDC approached the Sunset Haven board because of its concern over the huge loss of jobs in the community and its adverse economic impact. And while the EDC offered more than 10 suggestions for alleviating the situation, I don’t believe the board acted on a single one. I believe the EDC was the first local group to know of the financial crisis and this all occurred in early-October, not four months ago.
The next organization to hear word of the nursing home’s problems were the Frontier County commissioners. On November 19th representatives from the Sunset Haven board went before the commissioners and told them the nursing home was in financial trouble. The board wanted to know if the commissioners would take over the facility or had any other ideas on keeping it solvent. Obviously taken by surprise the commissioners were not prepared to offer help at that time. Once again this was just one month prior to the closing announcement, not four months earlier as quotes in the North Platte Telegraph imply.
The Sunset Haven board did eventually meet with the Curtis City Council, but this was on Monday, December 18th, one hour before the board announced the closing to its employees. What could be done at that late hour?
So, outside the meetings with the EDC the Sunset Haven board met with two other bodies, and one of these meetings on the day of the announcement.
Is it possible other organizations, I don’t know of, were approached? Of course it is, but I can’t imagine who they would be.
The Telegraph article also had a quote that appears to be a swipe to those who are now trying to help. To paraphrase, the quote said something along the lines of, We’ve been trying to get people to help us for four months, now that we made the announcement and people are upset they suddenly want to help.
What a load of bunk.
No one had a chance to help until now because the board has spent an inordinate amount of energy the past few months trying to keep the news from getting out, with a board member even mis-leading this newspaper at one time.
From my point of view all of the board’s actions to the time of the closing announcement were the exact opposite of how they were portrayed in the Telegraph story.
Instead of being open and transparent about the financial condition of the facility the board tried to cover the information until the very last minute when little could be done.
I do know the board has been in discussions since early summer with a third party concerning the purchase of the nursing home/assisted living building. This third party would use the site for an entirely different purpose. The nursing home and assisted living would close in such a situation; all 37 jobs would be lost. If this occurred the only people to benefit would be those who are owed money by Sunset Haven.
Are you an adult? Do you live within 25 miles of Curtis?
If your answer to both of those questions is yes, then you are a member of the corporation that owns Sunset Haven/Hillside Estates. That’s right, if you live within 25 miles of Curtis and are an adult you have a say in what happens to this facility.
According to the bylaws of the corporation the annual meeting should be held in January or February. But for some reason the board had their annual meeting in October, before news of the closing broke.
Perhaps the board can explain its actions more fully at the public meeting next Wednesday at the Star Theater. The meeting will be held at 6:00 PM. Come and make your feelings known.

Sunset Haven gets a reprieve, maybe

A small group of concerned Curtis residents met with representatives from Sunset Haven at a meeting held by the Medicine Valley Economic Development Corporation last Wednesday afternoon to discuss the future of the nursing home.
Brad Welch and Lannie Roblee instigated the meeting in the hopes of buying the facility more time. The two discussed this possibility with Sunset Haven board member Norma Lashley and facility director Jerry Rothemeyer.
I was at the meeting.
The discussion ranged from forming a corporation and buying the debt to merging Sunset Have with Senior Living Choices. None of the options appear easy.
Director Rothemeyer told those in attendance that even with no debt Sunset Haven would struggle, but it may be able to survive.
The financial difficulties stem from a low resident census at the facility.
Sunset Haven currently has 32 beds. Hillside Estates, the assisted living portion of the operation, has 16 beds. At the meeting Rothemeyer said there were just 22 patients currently checked in at Sunset Haven, while there were 12 at Hillside Estates. He said he thought Sunset Haven needed to have a minimum of 27 beds filled to break even.
Roblee and Welch told Rothemeyer and Lashley that they thought they could raise enough money locally to pay Sunset Haven's insurance premium and help keep the facility open another year. The two Sunset Haven representatives took the proposal back to the board where the matter was discussed and the rescission made, but with caveats. The Sunset Haven board wants the money raised by January 15th.
We will see how this goes.

Scooped by the Telegraph

We had someone walk into the office today saying they thought the NP Telegraph had "scooped" us on a story. All newspapers hate to be "scooped" so we got the latest issue of the telegraph to see what we had missed.
Well on the front page of the Telegraph was a big story on how George Garlick, remember him, he is the former Curtis resident who donated $1 million dollars for the Curtis Community Center, was in town and preparing to help the area with some economic development.
We knew of the story, I attended the meeting spoke of in the story. But I had been asked not to discuss this in print. As a matter of fact Mr. Garlick asked at the beginning of his comments that this matter be kept out of the paper until things were farther along.
So I was surprised to see the story in the Telegraph. Maybe the folks at the Telegraph interpreted Mr. Garlick's instructions differently than I did, maybe they didn't receive the instructions, I don't know. But believe me we are aware of this story and when the time is appropriate we will provide our readers with the most complete, accurate, and detailed facts on this and all other big matters in our area.
So, maybe we were "scooped" but I'm not willing to dishonor his request and write the story to save our newspaper from being scooped.