In the latest turn of a long-running saga, Kiama Municipal Council has decided to sell off its unprofitable Blue Haven Bonaira aged care business while keeping the profitable Terralong independent living units (ILUs).
At an Extraordinary General Meeting, Council narrowly voted to sell off the 134-bed Bonaira home, which lost $660,000 over the month of July this year, and its 59 attached ILUs; this is a reversal of an earlier backflip in May, where Council went back on its own initial decision to sell Blue Haven.
Kiama Mayor Neil Reilly (pictured) said the decision was made so Council could focus on “core” local government functions.
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This decision has not been made lightly but in pursuing our goal of a financially sustainable and productive local government, it is what we need to do.
“I commend the Councillors for making this difficult choice and I thank everyone for their input so far, and their patience and understanding as we work through the sale process for Blue Haven Bonaira,” he said.
The land will need to be reclassified before the sale can proceed; Council is planning to retain the 203 Blue Haven Terralong ILUs.
