State grants Barstow 7 more years to upgrade hospital

BARSTOW • As plans for the new hospital moves forward, the city requested and was granted an additional seven years in which to build it.

Instead of having until 2013 to build the new hospital in order to comply with California seismic safety codes, the city now has until 2020. As a condition of the extension, the city has to submit a master plan to the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development by Jan. 1, which would include plans for new buildings and their preliminary designs. Plans would also include the number of beds in each building and project timelines. Barstow’s master plan would include the plans for the new hospital, said Jeanette Hayhurst, the city’s community services director.

At its Monday meeting, the Barstow City Council unanimously approved a professional services agreement between the city and Lee, Burkhart, Liu, Inc. — an architect firm with offices in Marina del Rey and San Francisco — to prepare the hospital master plan. The cost of preparing the plan is $9,250, but staff requested Council appropriate $12,000 from the hospital fund for the project. The extra $2,750 would cover reimbursable expenses not included in the cost of the project.

The city requested to extend the 2013 deadline in June, Hayhurst said. OSHPD granted the extension June 19. State Senate Bill 306, enacted in 200,7 allowed smaller cities with publicly owned hospitals to apply for the extension. Even though the matter wasn’t brought before the City Council, by approving the agreement with the architect firm Monday, it agreed to the extension, according to Hayhurst.

Even though Community Health Systems operates the hospital, City Manager Richard Rowe told Councilmembers that because the city owns the building the city is responsible for the master plan.

“If the new hospital isn’t built we have a period of time to regroup,” he said.

When the Council listened to public comment on the matter, Barstow resident and planning commissioner Carmen Hernandez asked members what message asking for an extension sends to CHS. In August, Hernandez and a handful of other Barstow residents protested in front of the City Council, saying that CHS pressured the city into signing to an agreement with fewer beds. At Monday’s meeting, Hernandez commented on a hospital update made earlier by CEO Michael Stewart.

“He gave a better presentation at the senior center,” Hernandez said, referring to a community forum on the new hospital in September when Stewart gave a PowerPoint presentation and took questions. “I have checked OSHPD (and there’s been) no progress by CHS.”

On Monday Stewart told Councilmembers that a conditional use permit would be coming to the city before Thanksgiving, and that the company expects to submit final plans to OSHPD in March.

During Council discussion, member Tim Saenz said he was concerned because almost all of the items included in the hospital master plan will be covered by the building of the new hospital, which CHS is contracted by the city to do.

“My concern is there’s been so many amendments to the contract and still not one shovel of dirt has been moved out there,” he said. “If they went along with the first contract and built the hospital it would not be a concern of mine.”

The deadline extension and master plan is a city issue, Stewart said in a statement Tuesday, and it wasn’t the company’s place to comment.

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(760) 256-4123 or jcejnar@desertdispatch.com

City Council recap for Nov. 2

Among items discussed at Monday’s Barstow City Council meeting:

Council discusses changing meeting days and times • Even though no vote was taken, most members of the Council rejected changing the time and day of regular City Council meetings. Barstow Mayor Joe Gomez brought up the idea, pointing out that many members sometimes feel they aren’t given enough time to study the agenda items. He said an extra two days between the time when the agenda is posted and meetings would give members time to discuss their questions with city staff instead of asking them during meetings.

During discussion Councilmember Timothy Silva said other community meetings are scheduled around City Council meetings. Councilmember Tim Saenz agreed, but said it would still be helpful to an extra day to review the agenda.

RDA discusses Project Facelift, Mortgage Assistance Program • At the Barstow Redevelopment Agency meeting, Mayor Joe Gomez expressed his desire to help businesses that aren’t in the Redevelopment Area take advantage of the Project Facelift program. He also pointed out that even though the agency’s Mortgage Assistance Program for low-income homebuyers was out of money, there are many young homebuyers who want to buy a house.

City Manager Richard Rowe said RDA funds can be used outside the project area, but that it would depend upon a policy decision made by the agency. Redevelopment Manager Ron Rector said he could look into the budget to see what money would be available to assist businesses and homebuyers, but since the state took $1.7 billion from RDAs statewide, it wouldn’t be much.