(Spirit Lake)– A major expansion project at Dickinson County Memorial Hospital is a step closer to reality.
The hospital’s board of trustees Monday evening awarded a bid of nearly 4.2 million dollars for the project to Brown Construction Company of Sioux City.
The project will consist of remodeling existing patient rooms into single occupancy rooms, along with constructing new ones. The board has deferred any decisions on proceeding with the outpatient addition, siting cost concerns and utilization issues.
A groundbreaking ceremony is set for 4:00 p.m. October 8th.
Some concern about the project was expressed by Doctor James Webb who requested the board hold a joint meeting with medical staff to make sure everyone is on “the same page” with the project. The board took no action on the request, saying everyone should have been well aware of the project by now. Several board members did agree, though, that communication between the medical staff, trustees and administration could be improved. C-E-O Rich Kielman said a committee of representatives from each group is being formed to address the matter, and that a meeting has been tentatively set for October 22nd.
