With walls and a roof going up at the new Allen County Hospital construction site, the portion of the building progress most visible to the general public is well under way.
This is the time when folks can most easily see the rapid pace of construction, explained Sheldon Streeter, project manager with Murray Construction, which is overseeing the building project.
“It always seems like the dirt work takes forever, and then when the walls start going up it looks like it’s going faster,” he said.
Of course, once the walls and roof are sealed, and much of the rest of the construction takes place indoors, general observers will again start to wonder if the pace has slowed, “because they won’t be able to see much,” Streeter said.
They needn’t worry.
Pace of construction has roared along at high gear from the outset, Streeter said, unencumbered by such things as weather and material delays.
“Nobody likes to see a drought,” Streeter told Iola city councilmen Monday, “but it has helped with this project.”
Even the most recent spurts of rain have done little to slow the pace, Streeter said.
THE GOAL IS to get the walls, roof and window openings sealed by the end of the year so work can continue unabated through the cold, wet winter months, Streeter said.
That also involves getting the masonry and steel exterior in place.
“We won’t necessarily get all of the windows in, but we can board up the openings without windows,” he said. “We’re still in good shape compared to our original plans, schedule-wise.”
Things are in good shape budget-wise as well.
With bids routinely coming in lower than architect’s projections, the project has totaled about $600,000 in savings, taking its portion of the $25 million building project from $18.2 million to $17.6 million.
Streeter credits Allen County’s location, with a wealth of subcontractors in the area, in addition to Iola’s proximity to Kansas City, Wichita and other metropolitan areas.
“We’ve gotten a good combination, which has helped with costs.”
THE SINGLE-STORY, 65,000-square-foot building project is designed with an eye toward efficiency, easy access and potential expansion in the future.
While the existing hospital has more interior space, it sits in a smaller footprint because of its second floor and basement areas.
The new hospital will feature a pair of angled wings, one dedicated for 22 patient rooms, emergency room and radiology area; the other for the administration wing, physical therapy area, hospital pharmacy, meeting room/storm shelter and mechanical hub of the medical center.
