Voters to decide on $33 mln for new Olney hospital

The Olney Hamilton Hospital Board of Directors voted unanimously to place a $33-million bond issue on the November ballot to build a new hospital, OHH board president Dale Lovett said. The board met in a series of meetings that culminated in the unanimous vote on Aug. 17, Mr. Lovett said.

“Olney Hamilton Hospital has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a new hospital with the new revenues that will be generated from the wind farm and the hydrogen plant and that’s why we are doing this work,” said Mr. Lovett. “We can’t just sit on it … it’s going to get more expensive so we can’t … let this opportunity get by.”

The hospital board consulted with an architect and a builder, as well as members of the community last year to come up with a broad plan for a new facility. “We had an architect and builder give us a fair market value that says we can build what you need for $33 million,” Mr. Lovett said.

If voters approve the bond issue, the new hospital will be build on the site of the OHH Education Building and vacant lots the hospital owns north of Hamilton Street. The hospital has not drawn up formal plans yet, Mr. Lovett said. “In reality, if we are constrained by the funds we may have to trim up this and that.”

Voters in Young County and the parts of Archer County that fall within the hospital taxing district will vote on the bond issue, including the former Megargel Independent School District area, he said. “If you are in the Olney and Newcastle ISD, you fall within the hospital taxing district, he said.

“We made a promise to our taxpayers that we would not increase our taxes except incrementally up to 35 cents per $100 property valuation but we are using the increased valuation with the new wind farm and the potential new valuation with the new hydrogen plant to fund this bond debt so it will not fall on the backs of the homeowners and the business owners,” he said.