Hospital trustees reversed their decision Tuesday night to retain Martens Appraisal to review land parcels for a new Allen County Hospital. Instead, the group settled on Aul & Hatfield Appraisals, LC, of Lawrence.
The change was made primarily because the Martens proposal jumped $2,000, up from $8,000, when architects added an additional parcel of land measuring a bit more than half an acre to the site.
Trustees then revisited the requests for proposals and selected Aul & Hatfield, whose revised bid came in at $5,900, up $500 from their original price.
“IT’S A SHOTGUN start,” said Alan Weber of all the items that need to be tackled before the first spade of dirt can be turned on the new hospital. Weber serves as legal adviser for the trustees.
Demanding immediate resolution are appraisals of the 11 parcels of land, their acquisition, soil tests, securing an architectural firm and a construction management firm, deciding who will manage the hospital, and means by which donations can be made to the hospital.
All of the above are in the works, Weber said.
To date, all property owners of the land in question have been contacted and “conversations have been amicable,” Weber said. “But until they know the price” — determined by appraisals — “no real conversations can begin.”
The verdict is still out on the nature of the soil, Weber said, and its level of contamination. Terracon Consultants, Inc. engineering firm is handling environmental tests. Terracon was secured by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
As for architects, Hospital Facilities Group of Wichita is working with trustees while an official agreement is fine-tuned between its attorneys and Weber.
At next week’s meeting, trustees will review nine proposals submitted by construction management firms to handle construction of the $25 million hospital. The review will narrow the field to a handful, Weber said, which will then make presentations to trustees.
Whether Hospital Corporation of America will lead ACH as its management firm may be decided in late January, Weber said. HCA officials will, at that time, submit a proposal on how they would manage the hospital and “what they will bring to the table” in terms of financial advantages to the county. If the terms are not agreeable, trustees will review proposals from other management firms, Weber said.
The advice of Chuck Wells, the consultant hired by the county, and Mark Thompson, the county commission’s attorney based in Kansas City, will weigh heavily in these discussions, Weber said. “They do these things all the time.”
As for donations, one has already been received, trustee Karen Gilpin said. Gifts should be made to the Allen County Healthcare Foundation and left at Thrive Allen County, 2 E. Jackson, which is handling financial gifts to the hospital.
TRUSTEES DELEGATED review and revision of their bylaws to Patti Boyd and Karen Gilpin, hospital trustees, Joyce Heismeyer, chief executive officer of Allen County Hospital, and Weber.
Boyd and Weber are attorneys; Gilpin and Heismeyer knowledgeable in hospital administration — Gilpin was a former nursing director of the hospital.
Next Tuesday’s meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in the Mary Ellen Stadler Room in the basement of the hospital. All meetings are open to the public.
