Rockland County Employees Move into Former Nursing Home

NEW CITY, NY — Forty-two county employees have moved from the Sain building into new offices in the Dr. Robert L. Yeager Health Center in Pomona. The Rockland County Executive wants to sell the old office building, an effort blocked by county lawmakers.

"We know that the Sain building was old, out of date, in bad shape and uncomfortable for everyone," Day told the employees as he greeted them in the new offices, according to a press release. "We are as happy as you are that we have made good on our promise to move you to a much better location."

Employees from the Department of Personnel and the Youth Bureau settled into newly renovated offices on the 7th floor of the former Summit Park Hospital and Nursing Care Center in Building A on the Pomona campus, county officials said.

The nursing home was closed in 2015 after a plan to sell it to a private company fell through, partly because the sale had been challenged in court by the county's unions. The county was in dire financial straits and not only was looking forward to the infusion of $32 million but also getting out from under the cost of operating the nursing home.

The Department of Personnel and the Youth Bureau joined members of the Department of Economic Growth and Tourism, who moved into Building A over the summer.

The Office of Consumer Protection and the Payroll Department will move next. The Finance Department will be the last to move, officials said.

By the middle of December, the Sain building will be empty.

Day hopes the New City building will be sold to a developer who has offered to pay $4.51 million for the property on New Hempstead Road. The developer wants to knock down the building and replace it with a senior housing development.

"Hopefully, it will be demolished as it should have been years ago," Day said.

The County Executive thanked staff members who planned the move, including Director of Facilities Robert Gruffi, Assistant Director of MIS Frank Calise, Purchasing Director Paul Brennan, Deputy County Executive Guillermo Rosa, Personnel Commissioner Lori Gruebel, Youth Bureau Assistant Director Marianne McCarney-Haesche and many others.

SEE ALSO:

• Bid on Sain Building is Actually No Bid, Say Rockland Lawmakers
  
• Firm Re-ups Offer to Buy Sain Building for Senior Housing
  
• Finger-Pointing as Summit Park Sale Sours
• Wolfe to Appeal Summit Park Decision in the County's (and His Favor)
  

Patch file photo