Commissioners select preferred site for new hospital, plan open house

With preliminary concept drawings in hand, hospital district commissioners voted to support a building committee’s recommendation to designate property owned by William Heineman along State Route 261 as the preferred location for a new hospital.

The site would be used if voters approve a $10 million general obligation bond that will appear on the Tuesday, Aug. 6, primary election.

The commissioners also learned the district will host an open house on Tuesday, July 16, from 4 to 7 p.m. at East Adams Rural Hospital to present the community with the visual concepts for the new hospital. CEO Gary Bostrom and representatives from KDF Architecture and the bonding agent Foster Pepper will be on hand to answer questions about the proposed project.

Two different concepts have been designed for the exterior of the hospital.

A comprehensive interior floor plan is also being fine tuned before the open house.

It includes a six-room hospital capable of serving up to 12 patients, and a clinic with 12 exam rooms.

The designs are very preliminary and specific decisions about what the hospital will look like will not be made until after the bond election.

Commissioner Jerry Snyder, who has chaired the building committee, said his focus group determined that the SR 261 site could have the necessary utilities installed for less money and the general development of the property appears to be more economical.

In the minutes of the June 21 meeting of the building committee, the group determined that the SR 261 site was the best site based on estimate development costs.

“The process had, in previous sessions over the months, narrowed the possibilities to two, one on Weber road and one on route 261,” the minutes indicated. “Each site had its advocates, and in many respects the differences were subjective and not great, making the process all the more complicated. In the end, the committee adopted the position that as all else seemed difficult or impossible to parse objective differences, the determiner would be costs.”

KDF architecture prepared cost estimates for the installation of underground city water and sewer services for the two properties.

The Weber Road site would cost $148,360. The SR 261 site would cost $110,400. The cost estimates didn’t include the delivery of electrical and natural gas utility services.

Commissioner Jerry Crossler was the lone dissenting vote. He felt the building committee needed to look closer at possible costs for developing the SR 261 site compared to the secondary site along Weber Road. Crossler referenced an engineering report completed more than a year ago that examined the potential developments costs of the Weber Road site and a third site that is currently not being considered. The SR 261 site was not examined in the previous engineering report.

“The engineering report might have been enlightening to you,” Crossler said.

Bostrom noted that both potential sites can be considered more closely in the event the bond is voter approved. The district is trying to keep the architecture and engineering expenses at a minimum in an effort to better steward the district’s funds until the vote is held.

A major difference between the two properties is the offer by Heinemann to donate the land. The other site is expected to cost between $20,000 and $30,000 per acre. The preliminary plan is to acquire up to seven acres.

Crossler was asked if he supports a new hospital.

“Yes, I support a new hospital,” he said. “I just want to look at all the information first.”

Bostrom said the thorough investigation of the land sites will occur at a later date.

“Until the bond passes, we aren’t going to incur those costs,” he said. “These are the best estimates we have right now.”

Citizen Ann Olson offered her perspective, asking for a side-by-side comparison.

“I understand you have to make a decision based on something,” she said. “I’d like to see all the costs. Show us all the numbers and answer all the questions. I’m not criticizing, as a voter I just want all the facts.”

Commissioner Kirk Danekas made the motion to designate the SR 261 site as the preferred location. Jeff Reynolds seconded the motion. The motions passed with Crossler as the lone “no” vote.