Bethany Council Conditionally Approves Site Plan For HCCH New Campus

In front of a full council chamber, Bethany’s Board of Aldermen gave a conditional unanimous supportive vote of the site plan offered by the Harrison County Community Hospital representatives for a new hospital to be located along 39th Street between Bulldog Avenue and Bartlett Street during a meeting Monday night. The support is contingent that a contract is drawn up between the city and the hospital that stipulates that the new road to be constructed which essentially forms a bow of the current 39th Street be constructed at the same standard as the current street, the cost to move utilities be incurred by the hospital, and sidewalks in the area which may be disrupted be put back to their original standard and condition. The Harrison County Hospital representatives stated Monday night and at the initial meeting unveiling the plans to the council that it was always the intent of the hospital to pay for any disruption which may be caused by the construction of the new hospital campus.

While council members and the mayor both acknowledged that the community support for the decision for the hospital to move to the chosen site was not universal, they also stated in the end that the council’s decision was only a decision about whether they felt 39th Street would be built back to the same standard at the hospital’s cost. Hospital representatives reiterated again Monday night that the site selection provided the best accessibility of the 3 locations that were considered for the $62 million dollar project. The site provided two-direction accessibility and the necessary room for future growth. The land has already been purchased by the hospital. They also stated that they would potentially be open to selling some of that land if an interested party would approach them and they felt the community would benefit.

A contract will still need to be reviewed by the council which will require any new infrastructure at the new site to be reviewed by an inspector of the city’s choice.

The vote allows the hospital to move forward with their financing plans for 80 percent of the project through the USDA’s Rural Development Program. The hospital wants to submit their application for the financing by September 30th in an effort to lock in current interest rates.

Hospital representatives feel that 20 new jobs will come from the development within 2 years after the hospital campus is constructed.