Commissioners: Old hospital “viable option”

The Stillwater County commissioners unanimously approved hiring an appraiser for the former hospital and Meadowlark Assisted Living Center in Columbus at the regular agenda meeting Tuesday morning.
Commissioner Maureen Davey said the county has a value for insurance purposes but not if they want to sell the building. She noted that the building needs a new roof but had been found structurally sound by an engineer and would make suitable office space for the county.
Commissioners Gerald Dell and Dennis Shupak also supported using the former hospital site for county offices, noting that it was a viable option and would save taxpayers money. Davey said she had heard good reasons from law enforcement officials for not moving them to the former hospital site, but she had also heard of residents who supported using the site for county offices.
Shupak said he’d also heard of residents who supported using the former hospital site for county offices, and he expressed concerns about economic setbacks by the county’s biggest taxpayer, the Stillwater Mining Co. Davey said she knew of properties where taxes recently had gone up by one-third. Shupak said they could increase much more if the county builds a new office building.
Backstory
The county has outgrown the current courthouse, with some offices already off-site. Additionally, the aging building is not ADA compliant. Four alternatives were developed through two feasibility studies over the course of nearly three years at a cost of approximately $70,000.
The four alternatives were presented during three public meetings held in January and are as follows:
•Alternate 1: Remodeling the old hospital and the first floor of the current courthouse: $6.37 million
•Alternate 2: Remodeling the current courthouse and construction of a new law & justice facility at the courthouse: $15.32 million
•Alternate 3: Remodeling the current courthouse and construction of a new law & justice facility on a new site: $17.17 million
•Alternate 4: Completely new county facilities on a new site: $17.54 million
A public hearing was held on May 7 and the written public comment period closed on May 19. As of the close of the public comment period, no letters had been filed in the Clerk & Recorder’s Office expressing support for Alternative 1, which is the only alternative that involves the old hospital. No one spoke in favor of using the old hospital at the public hearing.