Regional Medical Center Site Selection: Public Forum 8/12

12 Aug Regional Medical Center Site Selection: Public Forum 8/12

The Site Selection Public Forum will also be available for livestream at tellmed.org. 

The Telluride Hospital District (THD) has announced they will host a Public Forum to discuss proposals for a new site for a regional medical center at the Sheridan Opera House on Tuesday, August 12, 6:30p.m.

The forum will provide the community with an opportunity for public comment and a review of site proposals from the town of Mountain Village, the Lawson Hill Property Owners Association and Big Dog Holdings, LLC in Lawson Hill. An update will also be given on the status of the town of Telluride’s decision on whether or not to present a site proposal to keep the medical center within town limits. 

THD issued a formal Request for Information (RFI) in March to regional landowners and their corresponding private and governmental jurisdictions including the RV lot in the Town of Telluride, two separate lots in Lawson Hill and two separate lots in Mountain Village. 

The Telluride site identified by THD as a possible location for a new medical center, the Telluride RV lot on Mahoney Drive, joined the list of viable options after Proposition 2D handily passed in November, and designated the lot as one to be used for public use such as a new regional medical center.   

The town of Telluride did not submit a response to the RFI, but instead submitted a letter stating it could not adhere to the hospital district’s timeline because it doesn’t permit meaningful community discussion on the use of the RV lot. 

The process of identifying a new location for the Telluride Medical Center began in 2006 when THD Board of Directors began actively pursuing options for a new facility. 

According to THD Board President, Larry Mallard, as part of THD transparency efforts and to ensure landowners understood and endorsed the RFI process, a briefing was held for landowners on March 3, before the formal RFI was issued. THD then met with landowners on June 16 to again allow for feedback or objections on the process. Mallard also met with the Telluride town council during their June meeting to address any concerns or objections they may have had as a group.

“We’re moving forward with the process of evaluating the site submissions according to the timeline we set out in February. We are disappointed that the Town of Telluride didn’t take the opportunity to object to the process at any of our earlier meetings. Any objections, including a longer timeline, could have been addressed to accommodate any one of the respondents.” 

“Unfortunately, waiting until the final minutes of the deadline to object put THD in a difficult position” said Mallard. 

RFI responses received by the June 23 deadline were summarized and presented to a Community Advisory Committee made up of regional residents earlier this month. 

This Community Advisory Committee – a group chosen by THD to represent unbiased voices from the community, specifically from those with experience in architecture, engineering and construction – has been asked to evaluate these proposals and provide feedback on site suitability, cost, fundraising, future growth and risk. 

Committee members include: Ron Allred, Bill Atwell, Erik Dalton, Bunny Freidus, Bill Hoins, Don Kramer, Johnnie Stevens, Dan Tishman and Jodie Wright. 

Ultimately this committee will provide feedback to the THD board on their recommendation for the best site for the region’s future medical center. 

THD’s public forum, again, August 12, at 6:30pm at the Sheridan Opera House is an opportunity for the THD to relay the preliminary details derived from the three site proposal submissions. The Community Advisory Committee will meet again on August 20, after the respondents answer additional questions and input is received from the public, construction cost consultants, soil testing experts and site selection consultants. 

THD will consider the committee’s recommendation along with the recommendation from Frauenshuh Consulting, a medical site selection-consulting firm based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, before beginning the long process of designing, funding and building a new facility.