It’s a scenario many home and business owners know all too well: Fix something as part of a remodel project, and you’re bound to uncover even more problems.
The Allen County Regional Hospital’s facilities board recently completed a major remodel of the Medical Arts Building at 826 E. Madison St.
They knew going into the project that the heating and cooling systems had outlived their recommended lifespan, but thought they could get by without replacing the six units.
Once they started using the newly remodeled building, it quickly became apparent those systems couldn’t keep up.
The board approved a bid from Ace Refrigeration for $23,897 to replace two of the units now, and will look at replacing the rest in the next few months. The new units include an air purifier system.
The board received four bids. All were for residential units rather than commercial, as recommended by the vendors. The new units will use heat pumps and are expected to be more efficient than the previous electric furnace systems.
WITH the Medical Arts Building getting more use than it has in decades, it turns out the handicapped door system also couldn’t keep up, either.
The unit started leaking oil and needed a new motor. The board approved a bid of $2,276 for the repair.
And if that’s not enough, the board also voted to replace timers for outdoor lights on soffits on the north and east sides.
THE FACILITIES board welcomed two new members at their meeting Tuesday evening.
The two new members are Nathan Fawson, executive director of Southeast Kansas Mental Health, and Kim Ensminger, superintendent of USD 256 in Moran. They succeed outgoing board members Jeff Johnson and Ryan Coffield.
Fawson reminded the board that SEKMHC would like to rent space in the Medical Arts Building and wanted to know if there had been any decision. Chairman Terry Sparks said the board had been focused on the remodel project but now that it was complete, they could shift their focus to the rental request.
“I don’t think our board has a problem with renting, it’s just the timing,” Sparks said.
THE BOARD also discussed the cost of an audit.
Larry Peterson, who handles the board’s finances, said there are few companies that handle hospital audits so their options are limited.
The county leased the hospital to Saint Luke’s Health System in 2020, and Saint Luke’s conducts its own audit.
