PEORIA, Ill. — Heddington Oaks will have new ownership after the Peoria County Board voted unanimously Thursday night to sell the property, but not without some concerns from board members.
The facility cost about $42 million to build about ten years ago. Now, its value has depreciated to around $30 million, and UnityPoint Health is set to purchase it for about a third of that amount.
UnityPoint plans to turn Heddington Oaks into a behavioral health center for children – the first such facility in the county.
Board members said while they support the move, the toll it takes on taxpayers isn’t what they want.
“I tried really hard to be impartial and not think of who was sitting across the table from us, but it is impossible when you look at what they are going to be able to do for our community,” District 10 board member Rob Reneau said.
“I have had tons of calls – all the calls have been positive. Everyone just really feels, ‘yeah, we lost money, but, this facility is really going to be great moving forward,’” District 1 board member Sharon Williams said.
25 News reports that UnityPoint Health expects to put around $10 million of the company’s own money into renovating Heddington Oaks.
