Commission declines immediate move to sell county-owned nursing-home lease; seeks more information from buyer

A representative for Pinta Capital Partners and Genesis Healthcare approached the Hampshire County Commission with an offer to buy out the remainder of the county’s long-term lease on the Sunrise health center, but commissioners said Tuesday they do not see clear benefits in selling at this time.

Commissioners said the county currently holds a long-term lease on the nursing home with roughly 10 years remaining on the primary lease term, and the private investor offered a lump-sum buyout to acquire the remaining leasehold. Commissioners discussed tradeoffs between receiving capital now and retaining long-term ownership.

“...this gentleman has offered to purchase out the rest of the lease,” President Englund said, explaining the offer would require the board to weigh a one-time payment against the county’s ongoing interest in maintaining ownership. Englund said the lease currently places most maintenance responsibility on the lessee for the remainder of the term.

Commissioner Bridal said he had reviewed the lease in a short time and saw no present advantage to selling. He noted the buyer’s plans had been “relatively vague” and that losing ownership could mean the county would no longer control future uses of the property.

Commissioners agreed there was no need for a formal motion; the consensus was to tell the prospective buyer the county prefers to continue the existing lease under current terms and to invite the representative to provide more specific information if the buyer wishes to pursue the matter further.

No sale or contract action occurred at the meeting. The commission did not set a deadline for further response and said it would accept an in-person briefing from the buyer if additional substantive information becomes available.