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Voters approve ability for Peoria County to sell Heddington Oaks nursing home

Journal Star - 11/4/2020

Nov. 4--PEORIA -- With all precincts reporting, Peoria County voters have given the county permission to sell its recently shuttered nursing home.

Results showed 66,896 people, or 84%, favored the sale while 12,614, or about 16%, opposed it.

A referendum on Tuesday's ballot asked voters if the county could sell the building formerly known as Heddington Oaks. Peoria County has long been in the nursing home business but the high cost and deep deficits over the years finally sapped the county board's will to keep it open.

The county board voted this spring to shutter the facility and move its residents to other skilled-care facilities throughout the area. The last resident moved out this summer and the building has sat vacant since.

A vote was required to sell the the building and grounds because voters authorized the funds used to construct the site. A buyer has not yet been identified, and voter permission to sell was considered important for its marketing.

If a sale is made, then revenue from that would be used to pay down the cost of the $41 million left in bonds that were used to build the facility. Right now, those payments are being made by a portion of the county's property tax levy.

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