Web posted
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Mayor has changed his position on hospital
By FOSS FARRAR
Traveler Staff Writer
reporter@arkcity.net
Over the past year, Mayor Mell Kuhn has changed positions on the building a new hospital, he said.
"We've got to have it," he said Friday. "This will happen and we need a tax initiative for a half-cent sales tax."
In a Traveler interview several months ago, Kuhn indicated that there was no hurry to build a new hospital.
Kuhn discussed his change of heart and the city's new active role in funding a new hospital on Friday, a day after the local hospital board approved a new design for a new hospital.
On Thursday, the South Central Kansas Regional Medical Center Board of Trustees approved a new hospital design based one used to build a one-year-old facility in Weatherford, Okla.
The new Ark City hospital would replace SCKRMC at 216 W. Birch Ave. It would cost either $15 million or $29 million, according to the separate estimates of two bond underwriters.
Kuhn also said Friday that the city is looking at 10 alternate sites for the new hospital. Most of them are in the city limits of Arkansas City.
These sites would be alternates to a site proposed several years ago that is two miles northwest of town.
"We would be doing our citizens a disservice if we didn't look into other locations for the hospital," Kuhn said. "We want the full faith and trust of the people of Ark City."
Kuhn said having a hospital that is in a convenient location will be a big factor in choosing a site. "Mileage is a high priority."
Another consideration is the cost of extending utilities to a location two miles out of town and site preparations, another city official said.
"Our number one goal as a city commission is to support the town and our number two goal is that whatever plan we come up with makes sense and pays off," Kuhn said.
The mayor declined to identify the locations of the sites being considered.
"I know but I can't tell you because speculative land buyers might gobble those sites up," he said. "I want to protect the interests of the city."
The city in recent months has discussed funding the new hospital after a construction project started two years ago did not get off the ground. In April 2006, ground was broken for the building of a hospital at the location two miles northwest of town.
That project was to be funded mostly with private money from a Wichita hospital firm in partnership with Ark City doctors.
"It didn't work," Kuhn said. "Now we're back to a city hospital."
City Manager Steve Archer said the city is looking into issuing public building commission bonds (PBC) to finance the new hospital.
"We desperately need a new hospital because the current one needs so many improvements to bring it up to current code," Archer said.
The current hospital needs several million dollars worth of work. The city and hospital also need to start a campaign to seek the support of citizens in the new hospital project, Kuhn said.
A half-cent sales tax is needed because the city's resources are limited.
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