Lincoln County board again seeking broker for Pine Crest sale

LINCOLN COUNTY – The Lincoln County Board of Supervisors is once again searching for a broker to facilitate the sale of Pine Crest Nursing Home in Merrill.

According to a Request for Proposals (RFP) posted on the county website on Monday, Nov. 25, the Lincoln County Board of Supervisors, through Administrative Coordinator Renee Krueger, is “seeking to contract with an individual or entity to act as a Real Estate Broker to provide information to, and solicit proposals from, prospective buyers” of the county-owned facility.

The RFP follows the board’s September approval of a resolution authorizing the county’s Administrative and Legislative (A&L) Committee to pursue a sale of Pine Crest.

RFPs must be received by 12 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 13. All RFPS will be publicly opened in the lobby area of the Lincoln County Service Center, 801 N. Sales St., Merrill, at 12:15 p.m. that day.

This marks the second time the board has gone through the process of selling Pine Crest.

According to the September resolution, several parties have expressed interest in purchasing the nursing home, including Senior Management Inc. and Merrill Campus LLC. The organizations were previously set to buy the facility and the county’s Health and Human Services building earlier this year before they terminated the Asset Purchase Agreement with Lincoln County in response to a lawsuit filed by District 7 Supervisor Donald Dunphy in May.

Dunphy, who is also a member of People for Pine Crest, a local group that has advocated against the sale of the facility, said the lawsuit was his “vehicle to keep Pine Crest from being sold.”

The suit was dismissed in July.

In August, the board voted 8-11 to reject a resolution that would have placed a binding referendum related to Pine Crest funding on November ballots.

The board also rejected a proposed Pine Crest funding referendum resolution in 2023.

The facility unexpectedly remaining on the county’s books for next year was among budgetary challenges highlighted by County Board Vice-Chair, District 12 Supervisor and Finance Committee Chair Julie DePasse during the board’s meeting earlier this month. The board ultimately approved the 2025 budget during the meeting.

The board previously contracted with the firm Marcus & Millichap to broker a Pine Crest sale.