| Plans for building a hospital in Gig Harbor were put on hold last July following a traffic impact study by the city, and officials at various levels have been meeting for the last few months to find a solution. A task force appointed by the mayor of Gig Harbor and comprised of Franciscan Health System representatives, city leaders, as well as county and state officials, has been trying to identify ways to address the traffic dilemma in Gig Harbor North, where Franciscan plans to build the facility.
A draft Environmental Impact Statement addressing traffic impacts and solutions for the Gig Harbor North corridor was due Dec. 31, 2005. The EIS will also include three proposed comprehensive plan amendments for Gig Harbor North, including one required for the hospital site.
“We hope it will lay out short-term fixes to get the hospital back on track and long-term fixes for traffic in Gig Harbor North,” said city of Gig Harbor Community Development Director John Vodopich.
The hospital received a Certificate of Need from the state in May 2004, and the initial plans called for a 2005 groundbreaking and a summer 2007 opening for the state-of-the art facility. Those plans changed last summer, when a traffic study by the city showed that even without the hospital, the Gig Harbor North area had serious traffic problems. The hospital, which is expected to serve residents of Gig Harbor, the Key Peninsula and South Kitsap, was also strongly opposed by Harrison Medical Center in Bremerton.
“As we sit here today, we don't know when the hospital will be built, what the timelines are or what the cost will be,” said Franciscan Health System spokesman Gale Robinette. “We know the community needs and wants a hospital.”
Robinette said it's disappointing to see that a year and a half after the Certificate of Need was issued, the organization is no closer to a building permit than it was in 2004, and said they are eager to work with the new city leaders to get traction for the project. But the timeline and cost would still need to fall within an affordable projection. The initial budget for the project was $100 million, and FHS officials said the delays will probably cost several million dollars.
“The hospital is our top priority,” Vodopich said, “and we'll divert whatever resources we have” to help it move along. |
