shari friedel | grant tribune-sentinel
The eight acres on Grant’s northwest edge now belongs to Western Sky Community Care Center (WSCCC) as the future site of its elder care facility, as of the signing of the warranty deed Thursday, Dec. 29. Present for the signing were (front, l-r): Mark Bottom, WSCCC; Jeff Skeels, Perkins County Health Service board president; Neil Hilton, Perkins County Health Services (PCHS) Administrator; back: Steve Loeffler, WSCCC; and Rick Roberts, PCHS Attorney.
It’s official - WSCCC owns land
By Shari Friedel
Grant Tribune-Sentinel
On Thursday, Dec. 29, Mark Bottom and Steve Loeffler, representatives from Western Sky Community Care Center met with hospital representatives Neil Hilton, Jeff Skeels and Rick Roberts for a warranty deed signing. The signing transferred ownership of the land, on which a new elder care center is planned, from Perkins County Health Services to WSCCC.
This land transaction for $1.00 culminates a process that began in August of 2022, when the hospital board approved Western Sky’s request for the land and a purchase agreement was signed.
Current WSCCC Highlights
WSCCC has come a long way from May of 2022. Here are highlights from its journey so far:
• A five-member steering committee was formed to spearhead the effort to build a nursing home.
• An LLC was formed to take ownership of the 50 nursing home bed licenses before they “blinked out” of existence when Golden Ours closed.
• Tim Groshans, senior adminstrator for Community Memorial Health Center in Burwell hired as a consultant.
• Nonprofit corporation, Western Sky Community Care Center, was formed.
• The application process for 501(c)(3) status for Western Sky began.
• A fiscal sponsorship with CMHC in Burwell was established, so tax deductible donations could be accepted.
• Land for the new facility was obtained.
• The USDA loan application process for building a new facility began.
“We believe we truly can do this,” said Mark Bottom of WSCCC. “The community has been generous and supportive. We need to continue to work together and stay focused on restoring nursing home care to our communities; 2023, here we come!”