Elder care LLC continues groundwork in establishment of facility
By Becky Uehling
Grant Tribune-Sentinel
Since it was announced on May 16 of this year that Golden Ours Convalescent Home in Grant was to be closed, Mark Bottom has been fighting to maintain some sort of elder care in the county.
From calling a town hall meeting, to assisting in the formation of an LLC to retain the nursing home’s licenses, to seeking assistance both inside and outside of the county, Bottom, as well as LLC members Chris and Steve Loeffler, along with Genie Bishop and Bottom’s wife, Renae, have put their shoulders to the wheel and continue to push through. However, it hasn’t been easy.
Where the LLC is Now
After purchasing the 50 elder care bed licenses from Perkins County Health Services for a $1 each, it was soon apparent that receiving the correct criteria to allow the group to move ahead with proper fundraising from both the private and public funds would present some hurdles, he said.
Many of the donations, loans, and grants that the LLC needs to begin functioning, especially with moving forward in purchasing land and hiring a contractor to draw up detailed plans for a new facility, are not possible until the LLC establishes a 501c3 status for itself, something that could take several months. In the meantime, they continue to press forward while looking for possible workarounds for fundraising.
“We have acquired a Law firm and CPA who are working together, and have officially accepted 501C3 name for the nursing home, which is Western Skies Community Care Center and it is registered with the State of Nebraska,” Bottom said.
He said the LLC is in the process of completing its 501C3 application with the IRS through its CPA within the next two weeks, he said.
“We are applying for an expedited approval process from the IRS,” he said.
With losing its original attorney because of a conflict of interest, and having more than one set-back over parameters pertaining to the potential location of the LLC and how monetary support is acquired, the LLC and the hospital’s Board of Directors and attorneys seem to now be moving in a similar direction, Bottom said.
Bottom said the LLC has met with various local banks to give them updates on where they are in the process of establishing an elder care facility in Perkins County. Bottom feels the meetings have been very productive, and he is excited to see where the discussions lead
The next board meeting of the Perkins County Health Services Board of Directors is Tuesday, Aug. 23. To get on the email list that is updated about the happenings of the LLC, contact Bottom at markwbottom@gmail.com.