Work could begin as early as next week in preparing to lay water lines along North Kentucky Street for the new Allen County Hospital, Carl Slaugh, city administrator, told hospital trustees at their meeting Tuesday night.
“Employees are ready to dig and start laying,” Slaugh said.
The water lines will be placed in an existing ditch, which will be expanded, on the west side of the road.
The city has an existing 25-foot easement to work with. An additional 25-foot easement will be necessary to lay the gas and electric lines, “which will benefit not only the hospital but any current or prospective homeowners in the area,” Slaugh said.
ALTHOUGH STILL in the “quiet phase” of fund raising for the new hospital, members of the Uniting for Excellence Campaign visited with trustees about monetary gifts and how they can be matched with funds from the new Allen County Community Foundation.
The local foundation has a $500,000 grant from the Kansas Health Foundation that will give a 25 percent match on funds directed to the new hospital’s endowment, Jim Gilpin, chair of the fundraising group, said.
Thrive Allen County wrote the grant to secure the funding, he said. Unrestricted gifts to the community foundation receive a 50 percent funding match.
Gilpin asked trustees what specific needs the new hospital was facing in order to direct gifts.
In just a few minutes Patti McGuffin, director of nursing, and Larry Peterson, chief financial officer, ticked off several big ticket items not included in the budget including a new CAT scanner, about $417,000, a new sterilizing system for the operating room, $60,000, and other things such as enabling four more private rooms instead of semi-private, or installing a hydraulic vacuum tube system that transmits communications throughout the hospital.
“For many of these things we need to know we have the additional funding before construction begins,” McGuffin said.
Trustees told Uniting for Excellence representatives Gilpin, Mary Ann Arnott and Mary Kay Heard, it would be best if commitments for such additions could be secured by Jan. 1, 2013.
Campaign organizers also presented a list of rooms and facilities in the new hospital that could be “named” by donors who gave substantial sums.
Groundbreaking for the new hospital is expected to be the first of May with completion in October 2014.
Trustees meet again Feb. 7. At that meeting bids will be presented for “dirt work and steel, and to decide between asphalt and concrete,” said Alan Weber, county counselor.
Local firms are in the running to secure the work, said Harry Lee, trustee chairman.
Trustees also will be shown three-dimensional renderings of the interior of the hospital as well as samples of carpet and floor tiles and color schemes.
