Quincy hospital design set to start in September after primary vote

QUINCY — The first phase of designing a new Quincy Valley Medical Center is tentatively scheduled for early September after Tuesday’s election results indicate likely final approval of a $55 million bond proposal for Grant County Hospital District 2.

“Once (certification) is behind us, we’ll be setting the wheels in motion,” Quincy hospital administrator Glenda Bishop said Wednesday. “And then we will follow the lead of the team that we’ve put in place, and who I have tremendous confidence in.”

Bishop said some planning has started and will ramp up after the election is certified Aug. 16. Initial results show that voters are approving a construction bond proposal for a new hospital.. The proposal had received 951 yes votes and 531 no votes as of Tuesday night, about 64.3% voting yes. Because the proposal was a revenue measure, it required at least 60% yes votes to pass.

The proposal authorizes the sale of up to $55 million in bonds to pay for construction of a new hospital on district-owned property adjoining the existing facility. Port of Quincy and hospital officials used a grant awarded to the port to do some preliminary planning and design prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Quincy hospital commissioners chose NAC/Trinity, Spokane, as architects for the project July 25.

“We’ll be engaging our workforce to participate in that build-design (process),” Bishop said. “If everything stays on the path outlined for us, we’ll expect the folks from NAC/Trinity on site here for their first big meet and greet and to begin to lay out the path forward with our teams. I expect that visit to happen probably sometime after Labor Day.”

Bishop expressed her gratitude to hospital district patrons for their support of the project.

“We are thrilled with a 64% approval, which speaks very well of the community support for the project, and also for the really, really hard work of a team of folks here who carried the day,” she said.

Hospital officials were hosting a block party on the hospital lawn Tuesday night, part of the Quincy Police Department’s National Night Out program, while they waited for results. As the minutes wound down, they were keeping close tabs on the Grant County Auditor’s Office election results site.

“I had taken some things to my office - I was just tired of refreshing the screen, and decided I didn’t want to be the one who saw (the results) first,” Bishop said. “I didn’t think my nerves could handle it.”

Hospital board members had purchased noisemakers, just in case, and Bishop said the first indication that the results were positive was the sound of the noisemakers. A neighbor from across the street delivered the good news via a phone call from a community member who was part of the bond committee.

“There was yelling and screaming everywhere,” Bishop said. “There was just so much emotion and thankfulness.

“I’ve told several people, I told my family - I’ve told everybody. I will not forget that night,” she said.

Cheryl Schweizer may be reached at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.