craigdailypress.com

Craig — The master plan for a proposed new The Memorial Hospital is expected to be finished and ready for board member review later this month, said George Rohrich, hospital chief executive officer.

"It's a hard process, but we're about finished with it," Rohrich said. "The hospital staff has been very involved in this process. :We've been working on it, trying to (develop) an affordable plan that is good for us and the community."

The master plan, which will include the proposed square footage and cost of the new facility, should be completed in time for the Aug. 28 board meeting, Rohrich said.

The proposed new healthcare facility would be located on 15 acres of ground west of Shadow Mountain Village. It is the same acreage where officials are eyeing for a future Colorado Northwestern Community College campus.

American Health Facilities Development, LLC, a Brentwood, Tenn., company, is serving as the hospital's owner representative. The company has conducted a space allocation and equipment evaluation in recent weeks in preparation for building the master plan.

A recommendation to accept the submitted master plan could come during the end of the month board meeting, Rohrich said.

The cost estimate could be the crucial element to the new hospital project.

If TMH faces the prospect of paying for a new facility that costs more money than it has available and the ability to borrow, the hospital board could choose to ask voters for new tax money during the November general election.

Rohrich said many questions concerning the new project will be answered when the master plan is ready and presented. Therein lies the "whole project."

Everything, he said, TMH would need to "turn the key, open the doors and start treating people."

Joshua Roberts can be reached at 824-7031, ext. 210, or jroberts@craigdailypress.com.