PATTEN, Maine — Questions and concerns over the impending closure of the Mountain Heights Health Care Facility were aired Wednesday evening during a special town meeting attended by about 50 individuals.
Held at the Katahdin Valley Health Center’s Administrative Building to accommodate a larger audience, many in attendance expressed concerns for both the residents and employees of the health care facility.
Town Manager Raymond Foss said the purpose of the gathering was to provide people with an opportunity to ask questions about the closure and to learn what sorts of resources were available to the displaced workers. He added that town officials were still a bit shell-shocked by the abrupt closure of the business that affected some 22 residents of the facility and 53 employees.
“The town found out about this (closure) at about 10:45 a.m. on Aug. 1,” he said. “We had not been approached ahead of time. We immediately started talking to everyone we could to see if the decision was final.”
Dr. Stephen Weisberger, owner of the nursing home, announced the closing in a press release issued on Aug. 1.
The state Department of Health and Human Services approved the closure and has worked with Mountain Height’s representatives on relocation plans for the 22 residents of the facility. Foss said he was told that as of Wednesday morning, only one of residents remained in the building located on U.S. Route 159, with the rest already moved to either Gardiner Nursing Home or Madigan Estates, both of which are located in Houlton.
The current plan is to cease all operations and close the building by Sept. 1, effectively putting 53 people out of work.
Foss said he invited to Wednesday’s meeting representatives from Mountain Heights’ management team, North Country Associates (the parent corporation which ran the facility), and the Department of Health and Human Services. But no one from those entities attended.
Area legislators did attend to offer their support, including state Sen. Michael Carpenter, and Reps. Stephen Stanley and Chris Johansen.
“It seems the first thing we need to know is what is the bottom line amount of money it will take to put this building back on its feet,” Carpenter said. “How much is the mortgage? And what is needed for maintenance?”
Foss said that in his conversations with attorneys for North Country Associates, that information was not something the attorneys were authorized to give out.
“I think if there was someone who is interested in buying it, they would have a good conversation,” Foss said. “Mary Jane Richards, who is the COO of North Country Associates, said in her professional judgement she would not recommend someone else re-open it as a long-term health care facility.”
Many in attendance questioned what could be done to lure a similar business to the property, or asked what repairs were needed to the facility. However, since the town of Patten does not own the property, little can be done to the building until it is either sold or seized.
The owners owe about $12,000 in unpaid real estate taxes from 2017 and $19,000 from 2018. In addition they owe $4,900 in personal property taxes over those two years.
Foss said the town has placed a lien on the property, but may have to wait in line as TD Bank also has a stake on the property through loans taken out. Foss added that no foreclosure process had been started as of Wednesday. If a buyer is not located, the property would likely go to auction.
“We know they (Mountain Heights) are a willing seller if a buyer could be found,” Foss said. “Any sale would include the payment of the back taxes owed to the town.”
The condition of the existing building was debated, with Foss saying the town has been unable to obtain a copy of the most recent inspection report to see what exactly needs to be done to repair the facility.
If a non-profit organization were to step forward to acquire the facility, Foss said the town would then be able to utilize its services for grant writing to assist with whatever repairs are needed.
“Unfortunately, there is not a lot the state has to say when a private company decides to cease operations,” Foss said. The “decision was theirs (Mountain Heights’) to make.”
