Eight landowners received letters Friday proposing purchase options for 10 parcels of land that will make up the site for a new Allen County Hospital.
Hospital Board of Trustees members settled on language for the proposals in a special session Thursday evening, called after final property appraisals were received from Aul and Hatfield of Lawrence.
Altogether, nearly 17 acres are involved. Of that, 7.2 acres border the 1400 block of East Street and where the hospital likely will be constructed. The remaining nearly 10 acres are north of Monroe Street.
Property owners will be paid 5 percent of the appraised value of their parcels if they agree to the purchase option. The balance of the appraised amount would be paid after hospital bonds were sold and clear title was available. If trustees decide not to exercise an option on a particular parcel, the landowner may keep the 5 percent earnest money.
Transactions will be “as is,” which means trustees will assume responsibility for any environmental cleanup that might be required.
Trustees asked for decisions from the landowners by noon on Feb. 22.
In the letter, trustees apologized “for the time taken to get the appraisals together” and noted that “had put us all in a bind as we strive to keep the project moving. At present, we are over a month behind our original schedule.” They said the short deadline was established “so we can get our project on track” with the intention of minimizing risk of inflation and rising interest rates.
Trustees withheld appraisal figures until decisions on purchase options are reached with landowners.
Trustees spent about 45 minutes of the two-hour special meeting in executive session with Hospital Facilities Group representatives David Wright and Steve Lewallen weighing in by conference call from Wichita.
The next meetings will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Mary Ellen Stadler Room at ACH and Feb. 22 in the hospital cafeteria. All meetings are open to the public.
Offers made on land parcels
