Construction Update
April 11, 2007

View the photo gallery of the construction process.

Q. What’s happening with construction site work?

A. The site has been fully studied and reviewed, and we now know where the ground can “hold” a new building. The engineering and test boring data is complete and being reviewed by a structural engineer to determine the ultimate location of the new tower. We also have a preliminary plan of how a new road can be built to access the hospital campus directly from Jefferson Street.

Q. What is in the works for the Nixon-Sarver Building?

A. Work is nearing completion on relocating the current occupants of the building. Plans are being developed to accommodate the loss of the Emergency Room parking lot and the Outpatient entrance during demolition. We will be soliciting proposals from demolition contractors who will do the work to bring the building down and prepare the site for future use. Expect to see the Nixon-Sarver building come down this summer. We will honor this piece of history as a part of the project.

Q. Where are we in the Planning & Programming process?

A. Round 1 of the User Group meetings conducted by Planning Decision Resources has been completed. We are transitioning now to the next phase of planning, going into more detail of the issues identified during the early stages. Kurt Salmon Associates will be finishing our “Planning & Programming” and will be onsite in the next several weeks for meetings with the Steering Committee.

Q. Have we selected an architect?

A. Ten responses were received as a result to the Request for Qualifications sent to architectural firms nationwide. After reviewing the proposals, the Steering Committee has narrowed the list to five firms who will be invited to proceed to the next phases of our selection process which include a visit to our hospital to receive an overview of the project, completion of a Request for Proposal, site visits by members of the Steering Committee to the architects’ offices and past projects, and interviews by all members of the Steering Committee and representatives of the Board. These firms visited the hospital this week for an overview meeting and tour of the hospital. Thanks to Mark Edwards and Rich Smith for serving as tour guides and to all who welcomed them.

Q. Are there others involved at this stage?

A. “Best Practice” tours of hospitals are being conducted in which our doctors and employees can learn from others who have recently built new hospitals. Also, programming and design will come together for the first initial drawings that will show what we may build.

Stay tuned! We look forward to continuing to share our progress with you and gaining your input and feedback.