County delegation gets first peek at scaled-back county nursing home plan

The latest proposal, a scaled back county nursing home, above, and the earlier 'Taj Mahal' offering presented last August. (Courtesy renderings)

DOVER - A scaled-back, less lavish version of a county nursing home to replace the current Riverside Rest Home was put forward by county commissioners during Thursday night's meeting.
The new plan calls for a 215-bed facility at a price tag of about $120 million, $50 million less than what some in the county delegation decried as a "Taj Mahal" when it was first presented last August.
The county delegation, which rejected the initial plan, will now mull whether the commissioners have scaled back the project satisfactorily.
Most of the county delegation, which comprises state reps from Strafford County, agree the aging and decrepit Riverside Rest Home needs to be replaced; they just thought the expansive skylights and atrium were far too ostentatious and out of line with a taxpayer-funded facility.
If the delegation approves the new design, officials hope to have the permit process done sometime early next year.