Question:  How many ambulances per day are expected?  How many delivery trucks per day are expected?

Answer:  We don’t have that information at this time.

Question:  How will this proposal meet a need in the community of Sandy Spring, especially since we already have two nursing homes in the immediate area (Brooke Grove and Friends House)?

Answer:  The number of people requiring nursing home facilities is increasing.  In order to build a nursing home, the State must review the application and determine that the location is appropriate.  The fact that there are two nursing homes already in the area will be part of the State’s review.   The county has about a 91-93% occupancy rate in nursing homes.  Projections are done on a 3 year cycle.

Comment:  It was suggested that there might be better locations in the Sandy Spring area for a nursing home, other than on Bentley Road, away from the downtown area.

Response:  It is necessary to have city water and sewer. Many of the other areas have only well water.

Question:  What is the schedule?

Answer:  First, the State must certify the need.  Then there needs to be a special exception from the zoning for building a nursing home on the land.   After that we need to submit plans to Park and Planning for their approval.  There will be another open meeting in about a month to give a status report.

If you have questions or comments, please address them to Scott Miller, the Smith Packett representative.