Construction could begin as early as this spring on the renovation and expansion of Oktibbeha County Hospital.
The Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors Monday voted to advertise this month for construction bids on the project. Supervisors will open the bids Jan. 21 at 10 a.m. in the boardroom of the Oktibbeha County Courthouse.
Hospital Chief Executive Officer Arthur “Sonny” Kelly said it will probably be late March or early April before construction begins.
As part of the renovations, new patient rooms will be constructed and old rooms will be renovated, Kelly said. Additional patient rooms will be located in a new tower the hospital plans to have built.
Among other improvements, the hospital will renovate its birthing suites and, when complete, the facility will feature a state-of-the-art Caesarian section suite and recovery area. Patients also will encounter a brand new newborn nursery and viewing area, enlarged nurse stations and patient triage and observation rooms.
Plans also include a new drop-off and pickup area for patients and families, new elevators and restrooms, comfortable waiting spaces and new parking decks to make up for spaces lost due to construction.
The project will be funded by general obligation bonds. In a November 2008 referendum, 61 percent of Oktibbeha County voters approved the county”s issuance of up to $27.5 million in bonds for the project.
“It will be a first-class hospital when it”s complete,” Kelly said.
Plans to renovate the hospital have been in the works for years.
“It”s strategic planning,” Kelly said. “It”s realizing a long-term strategic plan we”ve been working on for years. We knew we needed to do this. Now we”re moving forward and getting it done.”
Supervisors Monday also voted to advertise for construction bids on the new Oktibbeha County School District administrative building, to be located behind Mugshots Bar and Grill on D.L. Conner Drive. The buildings there now will be torn down to make way for the new structure, County Administrator Don Posey said.
The county school administrative offices presently are located on Louisville Street, near Starkville High School.
Construction could begin in early 2010. Contractors will have 180 days to complete the project once ground is broken, so the new building could be open by mid-to-late summer, Posey said.
The school district”s offices were located behind Mugshots until damage from Hurricane Katrina in 2005 forced the move to Louisville Street.
Superintendent James Covington did not return a phone call for comment.
In other business Monday, supervisors agreed to allow a Texas company to install a $15,000 alarm systems in a number of county buildings. SecureTech Systems Inc., of Fort Worth, will install an alarm system for $15,687 in the Oktibbeha County Courthouse, Justice Court and the courthouse annex, Posey said.
The system will be include, among other things, buttons to be pushed in the event of an emergency in judges” chambers, courtrooms, vaults and other places, Posey said. A signal will then be sent out to emergency responders.
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