After Hazel Hawkins Hospital’s property bond Measure L passed in
a landslide Tuesday, hospital officials are already outlining where
the money will be spent first and whether they will ask local
governments to create impact fees to fund more expansion in the
future.
Hollister – After Hazel Hawkins Hospital’s property bond Measure L passed in a landslide Tuesday, hospital officials are already outlining where the money will be spent first and whether they will ask local governments to create impact fees to fund more expansion in the future.
With a new, three-bay operating room opening in July, hospital board members worked on a five-year strategic plan Friday to nail down specifics on what the $31.5 million will fund, said hospital board member Gordon Machado.
The first priority is a new emergency room, which will service about three times as many patients as the current facility and should cost between $4 million to $6 million, Machado said. The hospital hopes to open the revamped emergency room’s doors in 2007 if everything goes according to plan, he said.
Next on the list is an $8 million women’s center, which will house a new maternity ward and should open in 2008 or 2009, Machado said. There are other projects lined up that Measure L will help fund, but a hefty portion of the money will also purchase new and updated equipment, Machado said. Included is a new laboratory, diagnostic imaging services and numerous pieces of advanced medical equipment to detect cancer and treat heart problems, according to hospital-issued statements.
While hospital officials and board members have been mum on the issue of impact fees, Machado said now that the bond’s in the bag it will definitely come up in the future.
“I don’t think it’s something in the very near future, but to me it’s kind of an obligation,” Machado said. “When you have impacts, you should address those impacts.”
The impact fees would affect anyone building a new home in the county – including Hollister and San Juan Bautista – and would add between $2,100 to $2,300 to the approximately $30,000 in impact fees new home owners or developers must cough up to build in San Benito County, according to a hospital-commissioned study.
If approved by local governments, impact fees could raise an additional $26 million but would take years to accumulate, according to officials. Impact fee money could be used for additional facilities, upgraded equipment or further renovations down the road.
San Benito County Supervisor Reb Monaco said he doesn’t have much to say on the possibility of impact fees because the issue hasn’t been raised to board members. However, because the bond just passed, if hospital officials decide to bring it before the board, Monaco said they would have to demonstrate why they would need additional money and what would be done with it.
Hollister City Councilman Brad Pike reiterated Monaco’s statements.
“If we need to do future improvements we’re going to have to see where they’re at and why,” Pike said. “We’ll listen to the hospital board’s requests to see where the need is. I’m sure it’s going to come up, but I’d like to have some more information before I make a decision.”
But for now, the hospital will be busy completing plans on how to spend the bond money, which will tack on an extra $24.36 per $100,000 of assessed property value in the first year. The tax will appear on residents’ tax bills in December, Machado said. Over the bond’s 30-year duration, however, residents will pay an average of $14.95 per $100,000 of assessed property value because the bond rate will decrease as assessed property value in the county increases, according to hospital officials.
Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or [email protected]
