Broome County will be "disengaging" from its food services contract with Aramark Corporation.

County Executive Jason Garnar said Aramark representatives were advised of the decision during a meeting on Tuesday afternoon.

The move follows ongoing complaints regarding the service Aramark has been providing at the county-owned Willow Point Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Vestal.

Garnar said under the terms of the county's contract, "if Aramark wants to stay another 18 months, they can."

Speaking on WNBF Radio's Binghamton Now program, the county executive said if both parties mutually agree to get out of the contract earlier, "we'll do that." He said "that would be preferable" to the county.

Garnar said county officials now need to determine how food services will be provided for the nursing home, along with the Meals on Wheels program and the jail in the town of Dickinson.

Garnar said "there are a number of ways" the county may proceed to handle the services now covered under the Aramark contract.

An Aramark spokesman at the company's headquarters in Philadelphia declined to answer questions about the latest developments. He did release this statement:

We appreciate the County’s interest in what should have been a viable public-private partnership. We regret that the relationship did not work out like it has in thousands of other locations where we provide needed services while delivering savings to communities. We thank the citizens of Broome County for the opportunity to serve them, and thank our local employees for their hard work and dedication. We will continue to support the County to ensure a smooth transition.

This story has been updated to include the Aramark Corporation statement following the meeting company representatives had with Broome County officials.

Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com

For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.

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