With Gracedale Decided, County Asks 'Now What?'

Most of the money from the $111 million bond issue Northampton County floated in 2001 has been spoken for.

But some members of county council want to use what's left -- close to $1.6 million -- on Gracedale, the nursing home  needs to remain publicly owned.

With that decision comes a dilemma: the county can't sell Gracedale as planned, but it also had only budgeted $3 million for the home for this year.

"I don’t think it’s going to be enough," County Executive John Stoffa told council's finance committee Wednesday.

He's at work on finding a new management company to come in and run the Upper Nazareth nursing home, but doesn't anticipate awarding a bid to someone to do that work until August.

Stoffa said the county also needs to sit down with the unions representing Gracedale workers to see what they can give back. It will be possible to do a budget amendment at the end of the year, Stoffa said. His greater concern is paying for Gracedale in 2012.

Later in the meeting, during a discussion of the bond issue and outstanding projects, Councilman Ron Angle raised the idea of using bond money for Gracedale.

Angle's argument: if we haven't funded those projects now, they're not going to happen.

"We own Gracedale, and the people want us to take care of it. Here's money to take care of it," he said.

Council President John Cusick seemed particularly irritated over one project, which would fun a parking lot in Bethlehem.

"I don't (want) to pay for a parking lot in South Bethlehem when there’s a parking lot at Gracedale that we currently own," Cusick said.

Cusick, Angle and council members Barbara Thierry and Bruce Gilbert all supported the notion of taking the leftover bond funds and putting them towards Gracedale. Councilwoman Peg Ferraro supported the idea as well, but said she wanted "to know the ramifications" as well.