LIBERTY - The Care Center at Sunset Lake will begin administering the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine on Tuesday to residents and staff who requested it.
Meanwhile, The Care Center announced Christmas Eve that staff members have recently tested positive for coronavirus but did not reveal how many.
As of December 24, there were no confirmed residents with Covid, the Care Center said in a memo that was published on its Facebook page.
Right before the holiday, Susan Southerton - the Center’s director of nursing- told the staff that she will be retiring, according to two sources who spoke with The SullivanTimes.
The Care Center was supposed to be leased and under new management by New Year’s Day but the Sunset Lake Local Development Corporation- which since December 4 has owned the facility and its assets - has not yet picked three candidates to lease the facility that is part of its mission. The LDC was created earlier this year by the Legislature in a move that has been harshly criticized by hundreds in the community.
There were originally six candidates to lease or purchase the facility. However, sources say at least one has dropped out because it only was interested in a purchase. 
Teamsters 445 has also sued the Legislature alleging it violated the state’s Open Meeting Laws in creating the entity.
County Attorney Mike McGuire and Deputy County Attorney Thomas Cawley have been busy trying to defend the Legislature’s position with legal filings since September.