BURWELL — At the Burwell Community Memorial Health Center’s annual meeting this week, the group voted to approve plans for a new facility.
The final tally was 133 in favor and 11 opposed.
Following a question-and-answer session, the each person in the room cast their ballot as to whether to approve a proposal to construct the facility behind where the current building sits.
That one has been in use since the 1950’s.
The decision to look into the facility came last January and since there has been an effort to figure out costs and inform the public. “Knowing that people are passionate about their small towns, we just knew that we needed to take it slow, make sure we investigate what it’s going to take to build this facility and bring that information forward to the membership,” says CMHC Board President Dr. Tim Garner.
“A lot of time, a lot of hours spent doing it,” he added.
The project is estimated to cost about $12 million and be paid for through a 40-year USDA loan. The plan is to add about 16 beds to different parts of the center due to a projected rise in the need for assisted living quarters at the facility.
The hope is to have the entire facility constructed and ready to open by the spring of 2017.
