The Borough Assembly met in open session on Tuesday, Oct 25 to hammer out a unified message with the Wrangell Medical Center Board – and to look to the citizens of Wrangell to vote in the Nov. 15 special election.
That election will put before the voters a proposed ordinance that would authorize the borough to pledge 29 acres of property at the site of the new hospital. The buildings to be raised there would also be pledged as collateral on a $24.7 million U.S.D.A. loan.
The preliminary text of a public statement put together by Mayor Jeremy Maxand and WMC Board President Mark Robinson states, in part, “…Please, read the informational material coming to you soon in the mail; talk to your elected officials; or visit the hospital to view the plans. Most important, get out and vote on November 15, 2011.”
The document also says the borough and WMC have never been so close together in message or mission – and want the voters to know it.
“While the hospital board and assembly have had their differences throughout this process, our collective support for a replacement hospital and nursing home to continue to provide the best possible patient care to the community of Wrangell has never wavered,” the letter states.
According to the letter, the hospital board has spent the past two years raising money, applying for approval from the State of Alaska’s Certificate of Need office, and has developed hospital plans based on patient and staff needs. The assembly finalized contracts for construction and is ready to take the project out to public bid.
The letter also says that construction of the new hospital facility can begin as soon as the spring of 2012 contingent upon a “yes” vote for the project.
After reading the letter aloud for the audience, assembly member Bill Privett said he supported the content and tone of the document.
“I think it is a great letter,” Privett said. “It doesn’t tell anyone how to vote, it just speaks to how we feel about it. Hopefully the citizens will take the time to talk to folks and look at the information. Hopefully, they’ll make their own decision.”
Robinson said he is glad to see some action that will assist the project in moving toward completion.
“Jeremy (Maxand) and I have been chatting about this for a while and I think it is a real positive thing,” Robinson said. “I think it is a step forward. Once we re-establish the construction team it is up to all of us, collectively, on this assembly and on the board to make sure this thing happens.”
The borough approved unanimously the generation of the public statement. It will now be up to the WMC board to signify its approval of the letter.
An informational flyer was mailed to all postal box holders in the borough on Monday, Oct. 24 as a way for the city to educate voters on what a “yes” vote means for the WMC replacement project.
According to Borough Manager Tim Rooney’s report to the assembly, if voters approve the proposition, the project team will visit Wrangell on Dec. 12. Their visit will include several meetings with both borough and WMC staff.
The assembly meeting scheduled for Nov. 8 has been canceled. The next regular meeting is set for Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. in the assembly room of Wrangell City Hall.
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