ONONDAGA COUNTY -- Onondaga County is inching closer to a deal to turn the county-run nursing home over to private owners.
In the next few weeks, the county legislature is expected to vote to transfer ownership of Van Duyn to a local development corporation, which will then sell it to a private owner next year. Upstate Services Group has a tentative deal with the county to buy the nursing home on Onondaga Hill.
County Executive Joanie Mahoney says the county simply cannot afford to keep operating the facility. Over the next 10 years, she says, it would cost the county around $115 million to run Van Duyn.
Many workers are concerned about it going private, but Mahoney says the potential new owner has indicated their jobs are safe.
Mahoney says most counties across New York are getting out of the nursing home business, because it is just too expensive to run them.
