Silvercrest is Closing
After many months of rumors, the announcement has come that Silvercrest will be closing. Silvercrest Article
About 55 students will eventually be mainstreamed back into their local school systems, if possible, or placement into another facility will be found.
There additionally are about 160 employees who will be losing their jobs. Some who have been employed nearly 30 years.
All of this brings shock, fear, and uncertainty to all involved, but the decision did not come lightly. There were several different independent organizations that performed evaluations on the facility and submitted these to the State. These were combined and a final recommendation was made after several meetings.
The State is taking every effort to work with all the families and employees to find placement and other jobs in which their pensions can be transferred. There will be resources available to make the transition as smooth as possible, and this will probably take several months to accomplish.
There will no doubt be some political spin to this decision before all is completed.
State Rep. Bill Cochran, (D) has always been an advocate of Silvercrest, but even if he wants to keep it open, fiduciary responsibility and an examination of the reports should clarify his judgment. It is very difficult to recommend the continuing 8 million dollar expense for 55 children when in every other part of the State they are managed in other environments for much less.
In addition, it is possible that this facility and land could eventually be deeded back to the city or county and be placed back on the tax roles. This would be a prime piece of real estate for the benefit of the city.
The hospital and other local employers and agencies are working with the State to help facilitate jobs transitions and other issues related to the changes.
Although money is part of the issue, this is not and should not be be spun in that direction. The facility is outdated and more current methods have been shown to be more successful with outcome measurements. School systems accepting these students will also have increased State support to help with their needs.
Hopefully everyone will understand the decisions and if any community member knows of any additional jobs available for the employees in which their pensions could transfer, they could contact the State agency.
About 55 students will eventually be mainstreamed back into their local school systems, if possible, or placement into another facility will be found.
There additionally are about 160 employees who will be losing their jobs. Some who have been employed nearly 30 years.
All of this brings shock, fear, and uncertainty to all involved, but the decision did not come lightly. There were several different independent organizations that performed evaluations on the facility and submitted these to the State. These were combined and a final recommendation was made after several meetings.
The State is taking every effort to work with all the families and employees to find placement and other jobs in which their pensions can be transferred. There will be resources available to make the transition as smooth as possible, and this will probably take several months to accomplish.
There will no doubt be some political spin to this decision before all is completed.
State Rep. Bill Cochran, (D) has always been an advocate of Silvercrest, but even if he wants to keep it open, fiduciary responsibility and an examination of the reports should clarify his judgment. It is very difficult to recommend the continuing 8 million dollar expense for 55 children when in every other part of the State they are managed in other environments for much less.
In addition, it is possible that this facility and land could eventually be deeded back to the city or county and be placed back on the tax roles. This would be a prime piece of real estate for the benefit of the city.
The hospital and other local employers and agencies are working with the State to help facilitate jobs transitions and other issues related to the changes.
Although money is part of the issue, this is not and should not be be spun in that direction. The facility is outdated and more current methods have been shown to be more successful with outcome measurements. School systems accepting these students will also have increased State support to help with their needs.
Hopefully everyone will understand the decisions and if any community member knows of any additional jobs available for the employees in which their pensions could transfer, they could contact the State agency.
posted by Anonymous at 6:03 AM
2 Comments:
I don't means this as a blanket endorsement of the closing, but imagine for a moment the potential value of the building as condo fodder.
The potential for this real estate is really a once in a lifetime opportunity. I hope those that consider the eventual use obtain lots of public input as well as developers ideas before making a decision.
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