SHERBURNE – Nearly 82 years after the Pratt Newton Memorial Home for aged women was established on Maine Street in the Village of Sherburne, the facility faces insurmountable hardships that have lead to a decision to close its doors at the end of the month.

Citing increasing costs of day to day operations and years of financial burdens prompted by a number of aspects, members of the Pratt Newton Memorial Board of Directors say the home will be forced to close on Jan. 31. According to a press release written by the board, “it became impossible to continue the home’s operation.”

“We just can’t cash flow anymore,” explained Pratt Newton Memorial Home Treasurer Rosemary Jaytanie. “We have had a hard time with costs rising and our income just hasn’t been enough.”

Since the announcement of Pratt Newton’s impending closure, three of the seven residents that call the facility home have left to stay with family or sought another round-the-clock care facility. Though Pratt Newton has a 10-resident capacity, being fully occupied would bear little impact on the difficult decision to close, Jaytanie noted.

“We are sick about it and we hate to close it ... but even if we had 10 residents, we still couldn’t keep cash flow,” she said.