Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

JPs Agree To Put On January 9 Ballow; Property

Includes Fixtures, Buildings, Equipment And Land Nevada County voters will get to decide in January the final fate of the Nevada County Hospital buidling, equipment, the home and all other real and personal property.

The Nevada County Quorum Court decided at its regular meeting Monday, November 13, to put the issue on a January 9 ballot which it will share with a state election on a proposed highway issue.

JPs agreed to let County Judge John William Barham put the issue on the ballot and, if voters approve the measure, then offering for sale the property in either a lump sum or in divided parcels.

The property will have to be surveyed and some parcels taken out of the lump sum.

Currently, the Nevada County Health Office sits on the same property as the hospital and that parcel will probably be removed from the rest.

Until voters approve the sale, over $400,000 in unpaid bills will be doled out in small sums as debts are collected by a three person crew at the former Nevada County Hospital.

In addition, the county will have to maintain the physical plant, insurance and the salary of maintenance personnel at the estimated expense of $50,000 to $100,000 a year.

If voters approve the selling of the property, what will be offered will probably be the ambulance service building, the administrator's home, the hospital's physical plant and the walking/exercise track between the hospital and the creek on Highway 67.

In addition would be the equipment and some of it could be put to use by the county to replace other equipment.

This could include office furniture, computers and other assorted items. The medical equipment would also be sold.

Selling of the property could be a problem as law requires the selling price to be at least 75% of the estimated value. The value will have to be determined by or through the Nevada County Assessor's office.

Until voter approval is given to sell the property, anyone looking at the site could be thwarted by the complicated legal issues involving the sale.

Jim Sharkey, Nevada County Economic Office director, told JPs he had one group interested in the building but had told them the property was not really available.

Karen Ward, administrator of the defunct hospital, said she had a list of six interested parties in the physical plant.

Barham was given the authority to pay $1,000 for a survey of the parcels with the money coming from the county general, but to be reimbursed by the sale of the property (all expenses can be reimbursed).

In other action, JPs Curtis Lee Johnson, George Clary and Willie Wilson were appointed to a committee to study computers. Johnson was appointed chairman of the group.

Some county officials and some JPs have shown an interest in computerizing portions or all of the courthouse. By computerizing, it is estimated the county could save more than the cost of the systems in books, paper, accounting fees and postage.

JP Gary Lewis had been mentioning the computers for several months in an effort to get the county computerized before the first of year. He was asked to be on the committee, but refused.

JPs also approved the auditors report on the condition of the county and the offices of former officials Abb Morman and John Henry.

JPs tabled a resolution from Willisville on the ending of the rural water project because of a lack of information.

Some JPs were under the impression the county would incur expenses by passing the resolution. It was decided to have someone explain the resolution before it was passed by the group.