St. Luke’s to unveil plans of new hospital in June

St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center will unveil conceptual plans detailing its site plan and exterior design for the new Wood River Valley hospital in June.

"If everything goes according to schedule, we’ll show the plans through a sort of public forum," said Wood River Medical Center Chief Executive Officer Jon Moses. "I’m optimistic; everything is on track."

Representatives from St. Luke’s, Blaine County Commissioner Len Harlig and other county planners met last week to discuss a timeline to complete the project by the end of the year 2000.

"Everything is interrelated. By gaining timely approval of critical project elements, we will be able to get into the ground this summer," said St. Luke’s Vice President Bill Bodnar. "Starting site work this summer is critical, because missing it would result in more than a million dollars in inflationary cost additions and a full year delay in opening the new hospital."

St. Luke’s is working with the county to move forward on the project. The county must approve a text amendment to the county code that allows for the conditional use of a hospital zone, and a conditional use permit to build the hospital. St. Luke’s must comply with the county’s Hillside Ordinance to secure an access into the hospital and wetlands mitigation.

St. Luke’s hopes to relocate current wetlands into the site’s avalanche zones, align State Highway 75 with Broadway Run, install a traffic signal, and relocate the recreation district bike path.

Applications to the Idaho Transportation Department and the Army Corps of Engineers are under review, and public utilities are also in the process of review. The county began working on the formal rezone process following last week’s meeting.

"Certainly we debate, this is a complex project and there are a lot of decisions to be made," said Moses, referring to the meeting last week. "We’re searching for ways to make it all work for everyone."