They’re almost on a first-name basis.
A small, but vocal, group of citizens again addressed Allen County Hospital trustees Tuesday night about their concerns of locating the new hospital at the east entrance to town.
“It’s the sorriest looking place I ever did see. If I have to, I’ll round up a bunch of signatures to get a vote on this,” said Gene Roush of Iola.
And so went the majority of comments from a crowd of about 40.
One lone voice spoke out in favor of the East Street site.
“I’m Jim Luttrell and I’ve lived in East Iola all my life. I have to drive by that mess every day. Stay with your decision. That’s where the hospital needs to go.”
Luttrell said he helped build the new ethanol plant, the East Kansas Agri-Energy, in Garnett, “on land just as bad as you have here.”
Luttrell works for the Topeka-based HDB Construction, Inc., & Environmental Services. The ethanol plant, which opened in 2004, was also built on top of stone columns as proposed by Phil Schultze, an engineer with Murray Construction, and remains sturdy.
“It’s not gone anywhere yet,” he said, adding, “There’s nothing man can’t do if he puts his mind to it.”
THE COST to locate the hospital in the northeast quadrant of the site on U.S. 54 increased about $60,000 from last week. Schultze estimated the total cost of locating the hospital in the new location of the 17-acre site would be $510,000. That figure includes “a variety of factors,” said Schultze, including additional remediation and fill material, a longer driveway and the need for utilities to be extended a bit farther. The original budget for the hospital had allowed $300,000 for soil remediation, Schultze said.
Only a “smattering of borings,” around the site, “led us to this decision,” Schultze said. At last week’s meeting he had requested permission to conduct another round of borings for what he estimated would cost $12,000.
Trustees deferred the decision, saying they wanted to weigh other factors.
Schultze delivered a bit of a bombshell last week when he told trustees that the soil in the center of the site, where they had figured at least a portion of the hospital would go, was “muck,” and would cost $1.3 million to remediate.
He and David Wright, architect for the hospital, then told trustees that if the hospital were situated to the north and east of the site, the land was more stable and suitable for building.
Among the factors trustees have wanted to sound out was the response to the new soil findings by the physicians and pharmacists of Iola Medical Developers who have voiced support to build a medical office building adjacent to the new hospital.
Trustee Patti Boyd has served as the liaison between the trustees and the doctors and pharmacists in these discussions.
Boyd said that the Iola Medical Developers “remain interested” in funding a medical office building where visiting specialists could have offices and exam rooms to see patients, “but not in a location far away” from their present site at 1408 East St.
“They’re not trying to hold us hostage,” Boyd said, “however they did not feel comfortable with the level of risk” to such a venture if it were not something they also could take advantage of through its proximity to the hospital.
Wright estimated the building would cost about $3.5 million.
IN REGARDS to the construction of the hospital, Schultze said the discovery of subsurface water at the site was not a concern if it were built on the stone columns as previously discussed.
“The columns, in fact, are suited for water migration,” he said.
The underground water would be more of a concern if the hospital were to have a basement, Wright said. The plans for the hospital have never included a basement.
The engineers again fielded many questions from the audience regarding the safety of the site, its challenges, and the feeling from many that building north of Strickler Dairy was preferable.
When the mood got testy, trustees begged the audience members “for some patience,” said Harry Lee, chairman.
“It’s in the public’s best interest that we be cautious in our evaluations and explore all possibilities,” he said.
“We’re trying to provide the best facility, with the best ability to turn a profit,” he said.
Trustees again voted to postpone the authorization for more geotechnical borings, saying that by next week they hoped to have information that would determine whether they proceed at that site.
Hospital trustees will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the basement of ACH.
Minutes from the hospital meetings are kept in meticulous fashion by trustee Jay Kretzmeier, who serves as recording secretary for the group. They may be viewed at the county’s website, allencounty.org. Under the tag “information,” click on “Hospital — Board of Trustees.”
They also appreciate input from the community. Their e-mails are: Debbie Roe, debbie.roe@monarchcement.com; Harry Lee, harry.lee@laharpetel.com; Sean McReynolds, 2th-fixr@sbcglobal.net; Patti Boyd, mikboy@vogent.net; Jay Kretzmeier, jay@km-spa.kscox-mail.com, Karen Gilpin, jkgilpin@cox.net, and Tom Miller, tmiller23@cox.net.
