The Lancaster County Board voted Thursday to begin negotiations to sell Lancaster Manor two days after nearly 175 employees, family members and others urged the board not to sell the county-owned nursing home.

Earlier this month, an advisory committee made the controversial recommendation to sell the manor, which is projected to lose $3.5 million next fiscal year.

"We have been concerned about the financial situation at Lancaster Manor for many, many months," said commissioner Deb Schorr, who voted to begin negotiations. "So we started looking at other long-term options."

Schorr said there is an entity interested in purchasing the manor, but she declined to name it.

On Tuesday, employees, residents and others attended a rally and public hearing on the manor's fate.

Schorr said commissioners heard their concerns and had a couple days to consider and discuss them.

Lancaster County Commissioner Larry Hudkins was the lone dissenting vote at Thursday's meeting.

Hudkins said he was disappointed other board members did not support his motion to hire a well-qualified administrator to run the nursing home at 1001 South St.

Kim Kaspar, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said she also felt hiring an administrator - combined with the work employees were doing - would sustain the manor.

"Going above and beyond and selling the place just doesn't seem like the right option," Kaspar said. "To me this is moving way too fast and there's not enough information out there yet for the commissioners to make this move justifiable."

Hudkins said the big question is how the sale would affect residents.

"My credo is government should do those things people can't do for themselves," Hudkins said. "As a society, we are gauged by how we treat our elderly."

Hudkins said he thinks the county could run the manor as efficiently as anyone else - with a qualified administrator.

And he said he hasn't given up.

"It's not sold yet," he said.

Schorr said she has no way of knowing whether Thursday's action will result in a sale, but commissioners will keep researching every option to make sure they reach the best decision.

"We know we have a big decision ahead and a lot of people to be concerned about," she said.

Reach Hilary Kindschuh at 473-7120 or hkindschuh@journalstar.com.