Published October 1, 2026 at 5:43 PM EDT

“Allowing the nursing home to close and remain closed just adds to Sullivan County decline,” said Patty Melisowkis to the Sullivan County Legislature on Thursday.

The Legislature voted on Thursday, in what appears to be the final vote, to close the Adult Care Center at Sunset Lake by 5-4. There are four residents remaining at Sunset Lake, the County said Friday morning, down from 93 residents over a month ago, despite a court injunction and restraining order to keep the care center open temporarily.

On Thursday, residents including many seniors, pleaded with the legislature not to close the Adult Care Center.

Melisowkis from Grahamsville, said that losing the senior center will hurt the county.

“I've grown up here and have witnessed continued decline of services. What I had as a child in Sullivan County is no longer here. And I'm not just talking about the healthcare, I'm talking in general. There's no draw in Sullivan County anymore,” Melisowkis said during public comments Thursday.

Some residents, like Dave Colavito, pointed out that some departments like the Sheriff’s office and the Department of Public Works, receive tens of millions of dollars. He said shifting over just a couple million could save the care center.

Legislators Brian McPhillips, Nicholas Salomone, Nadia Rajsz, Joe Perrello, and Amanda Ward voted to close the facility. Legislators Cat Scott, Matt McPhillips, Luis Alvarez, and Terry Blosser-Bernardo voted against the closure.

The resolution that passed also included an RFP, or request for proposal, to find another entity to take over the care center.

Republican Legislator Blosser-Bernardo said before the vote that closing the care center would mean it likely could not reopen for years.

She said Sunset Lake would lose its grandfathered status under New York State Department of Health regulations, and require significant time and money to reopen and bring up to current building codes.

“The moment we vote to close and surrender our current operating certificate to the New York State Department of Health, the legal status of this building resets to zero. It is no longer an active nursing home. It becomes a vacant piece of real estate,” Blosser-Bernardo said.

The closure could also impact a lawsuit brought against the county, to stop the closure of the care center.

Khalid Bashjawish, Deputy County Attorney for Sullivan County said on Thursday before the vote, that passing the resolution would likely solve the county’s problem of the lawsuit.

“This resolution will, in my view, as I mentioned to the legislature, it would make most of the complaints and the allegations in the petition moot. So that's the interest of that,” Bashjawish said.

Michael Sussman, attorney for the petitioners suing the county, said a restraining order to halt the closure of the facility is still in effect.

“The injunction remains in full force in effect, and it will remain in full force in effect until there’s a subsequent order from the court order, one way or the other,” Sussman told Radio Catskill.

Most of the 93 residents at the care center have already left, despite the restraining order to keep care center open. That order came in response to a lawsuit by care center residents, families, and employees, alleging that the initial vote to close the care center was done essentially in secret at a closed-door executive session that violated Open Meetings Law. 

For years, the County has been arguing over what do with the Adult Care Center.

The private operator Infinite Care began to manage operations at Sunset Lake in 2021. During that time the facility's Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services rating dropped from four stars to one star. Infinite Care announced this summer it was ending that role, following delays in the required approvals from DOH.

The county cited costly operation of the Care Center as a main reason for its closure.

“This is not something the County wanted to do, but our challenging finances and the lack of ability to transfer operations to our consulting firm has left us no choice but to initiate the closure process,” Legislature Chair Nadia Rajsz said on August 19, when the County announced the Care Center would close.

Blosser-Bernardo predicted the building will become a sore in the County.

“One year from now, September 2027, the care center will be shuttered, dark, empty, zombie building. The taxpayers will be paying thousands of dollars to heat it, secure it, and maintain a vacant property so the pipes don't burst while we continue to bleed money defending ourselves in court,” Blosser-Bernardo said. “Three years from now, September 2029, likely there will still be no significant tax income for the town of Liberty. There will be zero jobs, there will be zero local beds for your aging parents and grandparents. It'll be a health care desert.”