Stamford Boards OK Deal to Keep Smith House Open

Three city boards voted Tuesday night to approve an agreement that will keep the Smith House nursing home in operation.

The Board of Representatives, the Board of Finance and the Planning Board approved the lease-and-buy agreement that would lease Smith House, as well as the adjacent Scofield Manor property, to Center Management Group for 95 years, according to TheStamfordTimes.com. The agreement also has an option to buy the property that would expire after 50 years.

Center Management must now obtain state certification to operate in Connecticut by the spring. The company also must settle employee contracts including agreements with nurses and service workers, according to the report.

The agreement should settle the nerves of residents and their families, as well as staff who were opposed to Mayor David Martin’s move to shutter the 128-bed facility on Rockrimmon Road that has been in operation since 1963. In mid-October, Martin submitted a letter to the state Department of Social Services requesting a certificate of need to shutter the nursing home and rehabilitation center. The center has been operating with a deficit for years, including a $6 million budget shortfall last year.

TheStamfordTimes.com story can be found here.