BETHLEHEM, Pa.- During her first six months in office, Northampton County Executive Tara Zrinski has pledged more than once to chart a new path forward for Gracedale, the county owned and operated nursing home.
On Wednesday evening, while delivering her first State of the County address, a crowd at Bethlehem’s National Museum of Industrial History got a look at where Zrinski hopes that path will lead.
“Our vision is not this Gracedale,” she said, pointing to the existing building in an aerial rendering of the 365-acre property in Upper Nazareth Township. “Our vision is this Gracedale, a new Gracedale,” Zrinski said, gesturing to what was next to the facility on the picture: a massive new “intergenerational and supportive campus” that includes a 700-bed skilled nursing facility, medical offices, a dialyses center, workforce housing, and retail space to serve those employees.
Northampton County Executive Tara Zrinski with a rendering of a massive addition to the Gracedale nursing home campus
Amy Unger / WFMZ
In addition, the new plan calls for the current 10-story facility to be renovated into aging-in-place apartments.
The county also hopes to work with local colleges that have nursing programs to woo graduates to Gracedale. “Some of those nursing students will want affordable housing after they graduate. They might not be able to afford it, but you know what, they can have a house here and they can work at Gracedale, and that’s how we’re going to solve our agency nurse dependency,” Zrinski said.
She knows she’s setting the bar high- “I see some people out there going, ‘What the heck is she doing?'” she said during her the presentation- but she was firm on keeping Gracedale under county control on her watch. “Our intention is to make Gracedale financially self-sustaining with no general fund subsidy, a Gracedale that doesn’t require a multi-million-dollar county contribution, a Gracedale that can endure for seven more generations,” Zrinbski told the crowd.
After her speech, 69 News asked Zrinski if she thought the new Gracedale campus could be achieved during her tenure. “If I get eight years, sure,” she said. “I have a vision and I really want to fulfill it.”
There’s no official timeline or price tag for the project, but, Zrinski said, “I know that there is a desire among individuals in the philanthropic world, in the nonprofit world, and other donors who want to help.”
Financial picture
Zrinski covered a lot of topics during the nearly 45-minute address, including Northampton County’s financial outlook. County taxpayers haven’t faced a property tax increase in eight years.
Will the streak continue? It’s too soon to tell, Zrinski told 69 News, but the picture should be clearer by August.
Still, it is clear that something has to change, she said. “There’s things that weren’t funded in the 2026 budget that we’re going to have to make up next year, so we’ve got to figure out how to do it, and there’s only so many things that you can tighten.”
A countywide property reassessment is another possibility; Northampton County last had one in 1995. “We are going to explore all opportunities, because it’s obvious that we need more revenue,” Zrinski said.
Inmate deaths
If Gracedale was one “elephant in the room,” as Zrinski called it, recent inmate deaths at the Northampton County Prison were another.
Earlier this week, the coroner’s office said two inmates at the prison died by suicide just days apart.
“These losses are heartbreaking, and my thoughts are with the families, the staff, and everyone affected,” said Zrinski. “At the same time, I just want to say we have to be careful not to assume that every tragedy is the result of negligence or that it could have been fully prevented by any one person or system. We are reviewing each of these incidents thoroughly. We will strengthen intake screening. We’re continuing training for correctional staff. We’re evaluating additional precautions, and we are trying to reduce the risk wherever possible.”
What’s on the horizon?
Zrinski said her administration “moved quickly to make government more accountable, more transparent, and more responsive” in its first months.
She gave examples of achievements they’ve notched, including:
*Convening more than 100 community leaders, service providers, and residents for an executive summit.
*Signing a human relations ordinance into law.
*Making voting more accessible with new initiatives like pop-up events.
*Partnering with Northampton Community College and the Lehigh Valley Justice Institute to launch the Pathways to the Future program, which helps former prison inmates successfully re-enter the workforce.
There’s much more to come, Zrinski said. One new program in the works is called Neighbors in Need, with a goal of clearing the waitlist for Meals on Wheels and helping senior citizens impacted by the closure of two senior centers, which the county has attributed to a drop in state funding.
Another initiative under consideration would be a partnership with Colonial IU 20 to create a job training program and potentially housing for people with intellectual and physical disabilities.
A ‘profound honor’
Zrinski, a Democrat, is the first woman to serve as Northampton County Executive, which she called a “profound honor” that she’s reminded of every time she walks into her office and sees her nameplate.
“I’m honored to serve this county, and I am grateful for your trust,” she told the crowd. “I am looking for your support, and I am ready every single day to do the work.”