Work began to clear land for Wrangell's new hospital last week. Kendall Nielsen, with Dawson Construction, said that they began cutting down trees on April 4, and will continue to clear and level land next to the AICS Clinic through the rest of the month. The land will be ready to pour the foundation by the second week of May, he added.
The new hospital has been an ongoing project in Wrangell for several years. Construction of a new hospital was part of the deal made by the Southeast Alaska Health Consortium when they took over the Wrangell Medical Center late last year. The new hospital, which will be attached to the AICS Clinic on Wood Street, is planned to be about 44,500 square feet in size, at a projected cost of $30 million. Construction will continue throughout this year and next year. In a meeting with the Wrangell Borough Assembly, Hospital Administrator Leatha Merculieff said that the new facility will be ready to receive patients by January of 2021. A groundbreaking ceremony is also planned for some time in May, she added.
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