By Paul Hemsley

Council and Mossman District Nursing Home Inc (MDNHI) will collaborate with the Salvation Army Aged Care Plus (TSAACP), which has offered to develop and operate a high-care section of the proposed facility.

MDNHI, a community group, will manage the establishment of low-care, assisted living and independent living components.

The Salvation Army proposed to construct a 42-bed facility, with high-care, low-care, and dementia-specific bed places, which would not receive any profit.

Mayor Val Schier said the Salvation Army approached MDNHI to develop a proposal to jointly develop the aged care facility following Council’s decision in May to lease the land at Johnston Road.

According to Council, rates and charges will not be levied against the property until the facility becomes operational.

Division 10 Councillor Julia Leu said council has agreed to a 30 year lease on a piece of land through council resolution to establish an aged care facility that “has been needed for a long time”.

Ms Leu said Council has a “history” with the piece of land that it bought for the express use of an aged care facility and the Nursing Home Committee was in the process of trying to develop one.

“They had an investor on board and they were working with them but unfortunately because of the global financial crisis, the investor had to pull out – they didn’t lose out because we still had the land under our control,” Ms Leu said.

According to Ms Leu, TSSAP has indicated that it will be overseeing the project management of the building of the nursing home, which is part of the council resolution.

Costing on the project and information on where funds will come from is not yet available.

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