Plan would convert former Foley nursing home to jail space

A Suffolk legislator is proposing to convert the shuttered county nursing home in Yaphank into jail space so the county can avoid spending $100 million on new jail construction.

Legis. Kate Browning (WF-Shirley) has filed a resolution that would direct the public works department to conduct a study within 120 days to determine the feasibility of retrofitting the John J. Foley Skilled Nursing Facility, closed in June, into new jail space.

"If it can be retrofitted, why not use a building we have rather than borrow millions to pay for more jail space?" she said. "The public will appreciate us for not using the credit card."

Browning's resolution comes as the administration of County Executive Steve Bellone is preparing to issue a request for proposals for a potential sale of the building. The county legislature must approve any sale.

Jon Schneider, deputy county executive, said the Bellone administration will not discourage other proposals. "We'll certainly take a look at all possible uses for keeping it in county hands," Schneider said.

Browning made the proposal after touring the five-story, 182,000-square-foot Foley complex with Sheriff Vincent DeMarco last month. Browning did not provide a cost estimate for the retrofitting.

The nursing home building is located near the first phase of the new county jail, which cost $185 million and opened this spring. Bellone has derisively labeled it a "Taj Mahal" because of its expense.

Suffolk opened the new county jail, with a capacity of 440 prisoners, under orders from the state Commission on Corrections because of long-standing overcrowding at the county's existing jail facilities.

The commission has mandated that the county begin planning work for a second phase of another 440 cells that would cost about $103 million.

DeMarco could not say whether retrofitting the nursing home is workable, but said it is worth having public works architects study whether it could save the county money.

He said he expects officials from the correction commission to visit the new Yaphank jail within the next month, and that he plans to have them tour the 14-acre nursing home site to get their reaction to the idea of using the building for jail space.

Browning noted that the nursing home, which originally cost the county $42 million to build, is paid for -- and that when Bellone tried to sell the nursing home to private operators, it was at a "fire sale" price of $23 million. Bellone and predecessor Steve Levy tried to sell Foley because they said the county had to spend $10 million a year to subsidize the facility.

"I'm sure the price is even lower now that we've had to give up the nursing home license," she said. Browning also noted that in a sale, the building might need zoning waivers because the town limits privately owned buildings to three stories.

Schneider said the county would have to consider how much revenue a sale could produce as well as the cost of retrofitting the nursing home.

Schneider said a sale would put the nursing home property on the tax rolls, which would benefit both the county and the South Country school district. "The important thing is to make the right decision," he said.