The size of the new hospital has been reduced somewhat, about 4,500 square foot, from the original plan of 66,000 square feet.
City officials say the project is moving along well and they are getting what they wanted. The cost may also be a little less than originally anticipated.
City manager Steve Archer said once the engineers started the design phase, they met with doctors and others, and found that they could get by with less space. That is why the size was cut down some.
Archer said the original plan was a rough idea and now they are getting down to specifics.
"We had never locked in a square footage," he said.
He added that you cannot really know exactly the size until you start designing the actual hospital.
The contractors and engineers are not preparing plans and working on a guaranteed price, which is how a design-build project works.
The building will be in two parts.
One part will be the normal hospital, which requires high standards as far as fire codes go. The other part will be offices, adminsitrative areas and the cafeteria, where codes are not as stringent.
In those less strict areas, the cost of construction is significantly lower, Archer said.
A MOB, or Medical Office Building, is also in the works. It will start later, but could open at the same time the hospital does.
Ark City Industries may become involved in that, he said.
ACI works on economic development for the city.
The could finance the building of the office building and lease it back to the city or to the hospital. Archer said that is not a done deal, but it is what is being considered at the moment.
City officials are not planning any action for tonight's meeting concerning the hospital.
Make it samller , make it cheaper and then pay rent on an additional facility to another party?
ReplyDeleteWhy?
To be more clear - wouldn't the half cent sales tax through a rental contract gaurantee both the hospital and the ACI project?
ReplyDeleteAny takers on answering that?
The ACI project is a different project.
ReplyDeleteThey are apples, the hospital is oranges.
Two different kinds of things.
With the economy, and construction down right now, they may get an even lower price.
I do understand what Archer was saying. When they planned the project they made estimates based on other similar sized hospitals. Once you get into planning, you find out more specifics.
That is what this is.
They are not changing anything about the hospital itself.
I dont think anything is ever totally guaranteed.
The half cent sales tax can only be used on the hospital project. It should not have any effect on the aci project at all.
But, the hospital people say the half cent sales tax will put them over the edge to make sure they can pay for everything.
And does that mean the half cent sales tax will be paid off sooner and dropped?
ReplyDeletethe sales tax has a maximum time. was it 5 years or 10 years?
ReplyDeleteit would end before that if the hospital is paid off.
hospital people have said from the beginning that they thought they could pay it off early.
its pretty hard to say what will happen though. a lot depends on the economy. if prices stay down and the hospital does well, then yea.
but if the depression gets worse and we get inflation going, then . maybe not.
Has anyone noticed how nice the building on the corner next to Brown's looks? It's getting new windows and it looks beautiful. I never noticed that building even being pretty before. It looks great!
ReplyDeleteMaybe the governing body should ask staff to review the economics of past tax hikes. There has been this continuing tensioning over municipal wter utility. In ~1999 a five year scheduled rate increase was effected to pay for improvements to the waste water facility. When does that pay out and what then comes of the additional revenue.
ReplyDeleteA current commissioner mentioned that another scheduled rate increase wad enacted to generate revenue for preventive maintenance of teh water and waste water facilities.
Perhaps, the revenue generated from the 1%/yr for five years could just be redirected towards maintenance rather than additional increases. When there are fixed one-time costs that are retired, it is too easy to simply reallocate the revenue to new projects adn then come back to teh tax payers when another cost occurs.
This is more likely to happen when the folks who initiated one increase are not there to see it to retirement. Increases for specific purposes should be tracked cradle to grave.
Maybe would could ask Kanyon to review the funds generated from selling the "water Cookies" You all know the cookies she was selling to help those in need. I would like to know if those funds were all used for those that are really in need or just a self promotion by others.
ReplyDeleteNo comment on the water cookies Charles? Remind me to never buy a cookie to help pay your water bill. I thought I was helping someone in need!
ReplyDeleteI have no idea where the water cookie money is going but I do know that what Charles is saying is true. It IS too easy for those in office to give the money from prior tax hikes to other areas. It happens and happens all the time, and most of us don't know it. All Charles was doing was bringing it to others attention. He has done no harm other than giving out information some would rather keep quiet.
ReplyDelete"Remind me to never buy a cookie to help pay your water bill."
Sounds like someone is mad about Charles spilling the beans about tax monies. Could it be a current commissioner reading and writing on the blog today? Yeah,that is what I thought!!! LOL