(Spirit Lake)– Trustees of Dickinson County Memorial Hospital have decided to include an option in the hospital expansion project. C-E-O Rich Kielman says it’s based on an additional cost estimate they’ve received from a consultant. It put the cost higher than what the architect had projected, which was 5.95 million. The consultant’s initial estimate was 7.47 million. After visiting with the architect, it was revised to 7.24 million.
Based on that, Kielman says the board has decided to split the project into two different segments. One for additional inpatient rooms; the other for outpatient services.
A bidletting is set for September 26th.
On a related note, the board Monday evening decided to proceed with a bidletting on a new parking lot east across the street from the hospital. It would consist of 73 spaces at an estimated cost of 140-thousand dollars. Kielman says it’s important the new parking lot be completed before the construction starts. He says parking on the south side of the hospital will be disrupted by the project.
