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After more than 45 years, the E. Dene Moore Care Center needs to be replaced and voters will get the opportunity to help fund a new facility in the Tuesday, Nov. 3, coordinated election.
As ballot issue 4A, the question asks whether voters within the Grand River Hospital District and parts of Mesa County would allow district taxes to be increased by $2.9 million annually to construct a new long-term care facility, which would replace the current E. Dene Moore Care Center on East Fifth Street in Rifle, which was constructed in 1961.
“Our goal is to build a brand new care center within the district,” said Dustin Dodson, administrative director of Extended Care and Services for GRHD.
The proposed mill levy increase would affect property owners within the 1,500-square-mile district, which runs from DeBeque to the west and the border of the town of New Castle to the east.
A long-term care facility would be set up with four different neighborhoods, each with 14 residential dwelling units that provide residents with private rooms. Short-term care residences would be available to people of any age who might need temporary care facilities.
“These would be family-friendly with nice amenities such as an Internet cafe and fireplaces,” Dodson said.
The long-term facilities would be for those who need skilled nursing care and would replace the current E. Dene Moore Nursing Care Center.
“The building is falling apart,” Dodson said. “We're spending over $100,000 per year on plumbing alone.”
The new care facility would be constructed where the old Clagett Hospital was located at 701 E. Fifth St.
But the big question is ... how much will it cost the taxpayers?
“It will cost property owners about $7 per $100,000 of the assessed value of their home,” Dodson said. “That's less than a quarter tank of gas.”
So for a home valued at $200,000, it would be $14 per year.
“That's not asking a lot,” Dodson said. “It's a small amount for a care center that will last for decades. And it will be adding construction jobs in the city.”
Dodson estimated that there would be at least 65 employees, including the 20 full-time construction employees already working.
The ballots have already been mailed to registered voters within the district and must be returned to the Garfield County Clerk and Recorder, 109 Eighth St., Glenwood Springs, CO, 81601, by 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
As ballot issue 4A, the question asks whether voters within the Grand River Hospital District and parts of Mesa County would allow district taxes to be increased by $2.9 million annually to construct a new long-term care facility, which would replace the current E. Dene Moore Care Center on East Fifth Street in Rifle, which was constructed in 1961.
“Our goal is to build a brand new care center within the district,” said Dustin Dodson, administrative director of Extended Care and Services for GRHD.
The proposed mill levy increase would affect property owners within the 1,500-square-mile district, which runs from DeBeque to the west and the border of the town of New Castle to the east.
A long-term care facility would be set up with four different neighborhoods, each with 14 residential dwelling units that provide residents with private rooms. Short-term care residences would be available to people of any age who might need temporary care facilities.
“These would be family-friendly with nice amenities such as an Internet cafe and fireplaces,” Dodson said.
The long-term facilities would be for those who need skilled nursing care and would replace the current E. Dene Moore Nursing Care Center.
“The building is falling apart,” Dodson said. “We're spending over $100,000 per year on plumbing alone.”
The new care facility would be constructed where the old Clagett Hospital was located at 701 E. Fifth St.
But the big question is ... how much will it cost the taxpayers?
“It will cost property owners about $7 per $100,000 of the assessed value of their home,” Dodson said. “That's less than a quarter tank of gas.”
So for a home valued at $200,000, it would be $14 per year.
“That's not asking a lot,” Dodson said. “It's a small amount for a care center that will last for decades. And it will be adding construction jobs in the city.”
Dodson estimated that there would be at least 65 employees, including the 20 full-time construction employees already working.
The ballots have already been mailed to registered voters within the district and must be returned to the Garfield County Clerk and Recorder, 109 Eighth St., Glenwood Springs, CO, 81601, by 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
