Construction of the new Allen County Hospital continues to zip along at high gear, officials in charge of the building project said this week.
Sheldon Streeter, project manager with Murray Construction, which is overseeing the hospital construction, and ACH Trustee Chairman Harry Lee Jr. briefed Iola City Council members on the construction progress Monday.
“I hate to see us in a drought, but it’s allowed us to stay on schedule,” Streeter said.
The hope is to get the 65,000-square-foot medical center “dried in” or fully enclosed by the end of the year so that interior work may continue through the winter months.
Exterior walls are in place in many parts and will soon be finished within the next month or two. Once the roof is in place and windows installed, or other openings covered, work can continue indoors regardless of how wet or cold it is outside, Streeter explained.
The pace has continued on schedule for its October 2013 completion, Lee said, with one catch — a beneficial one, it turns out.
Because construction costs have routinely come in under budget, the trustees have some flexibility in certain options. For example, trustees recently approved installing Corian countertops throughout the building instead of less expensive materials.
The changes may or may not affect architects’ plans along the way, Lee said, which may add a couple of week’s to the project’s deadline.
UTILITY extensions to the hospital site are complete, Iola City Administrator Carl Slaugh noted, although some minor work remains to hook up electric, gas and water service to the building.
As a part of the hospital construction plans, the city agreed to pay up to $350,000 annually through 2019 by earmarking a quarter-cent of its sales tax revenues. Iola has paid $326,333 so far this year.
SUSIE CALL, Iola’s Municipal Court Clerk for the past 16 years, is retiring. Council members approved her retirement , effective Oct. 1. She has been a city employee for the past 25 years.
Carol West, who has worked in Iola’s utilities office since 2001, also is retiring.
Council members also hired Clint Johnson as the city’s new assistant code enforcement officer.
A NEW POLICY unanimously approved by the council puts in place a lower threshold needed to call off Iola Recreation Department-sponsored baseball and softball games.
All games will be called canceled if the heat index exceeds 105 and until it returns to 105 or below.
The city also will provide water coolers at all games in which the heat index is 81 or above. Games will be shortened if the heat index is between 99 and 105.
