Rather than being cause for disappointment, the scrutiny Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor John Williams and his administration are giving the project should be cause for hope — hope that the project will be done right and not become the source of a major headache for the borough and taxpayers in the future.
Williams showed leadership in confronting the problems of the hospital expansion head on in his recent presentation to Homer area residents. Concerns over cost overruns and rules that say 85 percent of the bond proceeds must be spent prior to Sept. 30 are legitimate. The total cost estimate for the expansion is now at least $4.6 million more than voters approved.
Unfortunately, making cuts to the project likely will not meet the expectations of voters who approved the bond for the expansion in 2003, and Williams has wisely cautioned against starting a project that cannot be finished.
A new bond issue would come against Propo-sition No. 4, which was approved by voters in October and requires all capital improvement projects of more than $1 million be approved by at least 60 percent of voters in the affected area. Plus, the borough is facing major budget cuts; it must be careful how it proceeds on every project. The finacial reality is borough residents won’t get everything they want.
While Williams’ message may not have been entirely appreciated by those who would have liked to see the project completed yesterday, his candor should be. His willingness to listen to residents about why the project should proceed immediately and his willingness to consider other options and opinions are indicators he wants to work with the community on finding the best answer on how to proceed.
Now it’s up to residents and the South Peninsula Hospital operating and service area boards to reciprocate with some leadership of their own. A joint meeting of the boards is scheduled for 3 p.m. today in the hospital conference room. If ever there was a need for the boards to show they are of one mind on a project, this is it. Large doses of cooperation and compromise are bound to be part of the prescription to get the hospital expansion project moving as quickly as possible. This is not a time for finger pointing on why the project isn’t further along. It’s a time to work together on getting the project done.
South Peninsula Hospital is a wonderful community asset. It’s a key ingredient to the quality of life in the area. Hospital employees and the service area and operating boards, as well as those who have used the hospital’s services, make strong cases about how much the expansion is needed.
No matter how great the need, however, the project must be built in a responsible manner — no matter how bitter that particular medicine may taste.
We encourage you to add your comments. To prevent spam, comments with links are manually approved during the normal business day. Please be respectful of others with your comments, bear in mind anyone in the community may be reading your comments.
