More options are on the table for those deciding the future of the old Champaign County Nursing Home. Residents moved out last week; now some other county offices want to move in, but the county's running into a bigger problem. Tonight a county administrator told board members they can't afford to do anything with the building, including letting it sit. "There is no alternative funding," says administrator Deb Busey. "The general corporate fund is getting dangerously low. We had to borrow to make payroll last week." Tuesday night board members took a tour of the old building, and they were supposed to look at options like tearing the it down, renting it out, letting county offices move in, or just letting it be until they come up with a better option. But they were told even letting it sit would would cost too much because utilities would have to stay on. "We don't even have enough money to tear it down if that was the only option," board member John Jay said. Some county offices say that's disappointing; they were hoping to use the space. "I understand if there's not money there to do it. If there's no way they're going to be able to do it at this point," says county coroner Daune Northrup. He wants to was to move his offices into the building, and he wants to add a morgue for autopsies. Right now his employees travel to Bloomington for every autopsy and pay a fee of $250 per case. "It does not make sense that we don't have our own morgue when we handle the cases we do," the coroner says. "We're the4 only county in the state of Illinois who has a level one trauma center and doesn't have a morgue." The county clerk says he also needs space to store voting equipment. Plus, the Children's Advocacy Center needs a new home. But Tuesday night, it didn't look good for anyone wanting to move into that old building. "You have no money, and so when you have no money, I suppose you let it sit," says facilities chair Steve Beckett. "We'll just have to wait and see." Beckett says if the board can find a way to use the space they will, but making any decision is tough with out cash to back it up. Board members are waiting for reports to find out how much it would cost for each of the options, and then which one, if any, are feasible. That report is expected next month.
