Residents and staff press council over management, council reopens review of Temperance Lake Ridge contract

Residents, staff and Cornerstone Management traded sharply different accounts of operations at Temperance Lake Ridge senior living during a lengthy Jan. 20 session of the Sherburn City Council.

Bonnie Oinskus, who identified herself as the facility’s culinary director, said Cornerstone removed long-standing leadership in mid-December and that the change left residents and staff in a “hostile environment.” “This is a home, not a business,” Oinskus said, asking the council to weigh the community consequences of management decisions.

Several other current and former employees and family members told the council they had seen declining training, frequent turnover—especially in memory care—and what they described as favoritism and retaliatory management practices. Nancy Hansen, who said her father and mother lived at Temperance, urged “fresh management and probably middle management, too,” and described instances when staff failed to recognize signs of pain and other care needs.

Lisa Lang, the building’s long-time executive director who said she agreed to manage the property under the new operator Embark, defended her record and blamed Cornerstone for billing and programing errors she reported to the city. “I only want what is best for the residents and staff at Temperance,” Lang said, explaining that she raised elderly-waiver billing discrepancies and other accounting issues with city staff before moving to a management role with Embark.

Cornerstone’s corporate director of operations, Marcy McNeel, and its chief operating officer said their on-site review after Lang’s termination revealed governance lapses, missing or inconsistent documentation and training records, and the undisclosed formation of Embark while Lang held a senior position at Cornerstone. “The termination occurred for one reason, the undisclosed formation and operation of a separate company, Embark,” McNeel said, characterizing that as a material conflict of interest that undermined oversight.

Cornerstone urged the council to evaluate the property under restored oversight and proposed a defined demonstration period, saying it had already instituted retraining, standardized documentation, and increased monitoring where gaps were found.

Council discussion focused on staffing levels, who has authority for financial and operational decisions at the facility, access to payroll and billing records, and the status of state oversight. Kevin Lang, the site’s head of maintenance, told councilmembers he had rarely seen Cornerstone personnel on site and raised questions about fire and carbon-monoxide detectors, camera access, and missing cleanouts connected to earlier sewer work.

After discussion about alternatives and the legal advice the city received, a council member moved to reopen consideration of the Embark management arrangement so the city could solicit and review additional proposals. The motion was recorded in the minutes as a move to “resend” the Embark contract; council members said their intent was to examine other management options and to ask Cornerstone to remain available during the evaluation. The council did not adopt a final permanent management decision at the meeting.

What’s next: Council members directed staff to gather additional financial and compliance documentation from Cornerstone and to review proposals from other management companies; the city plans a follow-up review before taking final action on long-term management of Temperance Lake Ridge.