Rally to save Fircrest Saturday

By Diane Hettrick

Friends of Fircrest, Council 28 AFSCME employee's union, and community members will rally in front of Fircrest's front gates on Saturday, May 20 from 11am to noon to protest proposed plans to close most of the facility and sell the land.

Earlier this year, DSHS prepared a Master Plan to upgrade the aging facilities and open the activity center and pools for community use. Rep. Ryu's office was deeply involved in the plans to turn over part of the facility for community use and her office was working on funding.

In the recently completed session of the state legislature, Sen. Dino Rossi introduced legislation, with bipartisan support, to make different renovations to the facilities on the property. The bill went through many revisions, amendments and committees and was not completed when the session ended.

In its current form, (see summary document) it phases out patient care, transitions patients to residential facilities, and sells the property.

Sen. David Frockt was an original sponsor of the bill. However, he no longer supports it in its current form.

The original bill would have renovated one building on the Fircrest campus to a nursing home facility. This facility would have been available to those currently living on the Fircrest campus as well as to individuals from the community at large. 

It also provided for a couple of buildings on the campus to be consolidated and renovated to provide current residents with an option of staying on the campus. I viewed this original version to be in keeping with the longer term Master Plan for the Fircrest campus. That is not the case in the amended version that is now pending.

The legislature is now in special session, called back by the Governor to complete their job of funding education. Sen. Rossi has revived the Fircrest bill in the special session.