Web posted
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Location still a sticking point for some people
By FOSS FARRAR
Traveler Staff Writer
reporter@arkcity.net
Some Arkansas City business people favor a new hospital but not necessarily at the former Patterson property site two miles northwest of town.
"I think we definitely need a new hospital, but the consensus wants it inside the city somewhere," realtor Rick Rush said Wednesday.
Rush said he understood the argument for growth that hospital and city officials are making. They say a site of 20 acres is needed.
"I feel it should be somewhere inside the current city limits," Rush said. "We're not that big to be growing that way for awhile."
There are sites in town that would provide enough room for growth, he said. He indicated that a site on the northwest edge of town should be considered.
"I want what's best for the city -- economically," Rush said. "I think a hospital needs to be around commerce, retail and eating establishments."
Families of hospital patients sometimes need a break from their hospital visits to shop for small items or get a bite to eat, Rush said.
"It's harder to do that when you island yourself out," he said. "People having to stay overnight should be close to a motel."
Rush said he favored a site in northwest Ark City because that's where the growth is. There also may be growth eventually on the south end of town as the Native American casinos expand.
"Our growth pattern is toward the north, that's where Wal-Mart and others are going to be," he said.
Ark City residents also would feel more a sense of ownership if the hospital were located within the city limits, Rush added.
He noted that in urban areas "great hospitals are usually located in the core part of the city." He also questioned why the new hospital has to be only one floor high.
On the location, he said: "We're getting too far strung out, we need to create some continuity. We have plenty of room for growth in town."
Property in the area that Rush described has been offered to the hospital board by Ark City Industries, said Jim Sybrant, a member of the group. That land is on the south side of Skyline Road and west of Summit and the MeadowWalk Apartment complex.
"AC Industries has offered 20 acres or whatever they needed, but their first choice is the Patterson ground," Sybrant said.
The property was offered free of charge but with the stipulation that a water and sewer line be extended to that site and across the street north to AC Industries property.
But Sybrant is not going to argue over which site the medical professionals have chosen, he said.
"I'll argue for the doctors presenting it," he said. "I would much rather have to drive two extra miles than to drive to Ponca City or Wichita for care."
The Patterson property site offers the advantage of being more accessible to the entire county, he said. That may be the better place for the future as small town hospitals are closing.
"It's their decision," Sybrant said. "I want to see it happen wherever it happens. Their location offers easy access and visibility. Ours is off the beaten track."
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