Hospital Still Gathering Cost Estimate on Proposed Wilkinson Center Addition

Work continues to finalize the proposal for a planned minor addition to Stephens County Hospital’s Wilkinson Center.

The hospital is looking to build four additional units at the Wilkinson Center that would fall under the facility’s current license.

Hospital Administrator Ed Gambrell said he is close to having a final cost estimate on the project ready to present to the Stephens County Hospital Authority for its consideration.

“I had hoped we would be able to tell the Hospital Authority what we think it is going to cost, but we are not there quite yet, but we should be very soon,” said Gambrell.

He said by August, the hospital should have a good idea of what the project is going to cost.

“Then by having that number, we will be able to determine if it feasible to proceed, which I think will be, but we have to do the computation,” said Gambrell.

Gambrell said when that is complete and presented to the Authority, the hospital will move quickly to start the project if it receives Authority approval.

He added that he does not expect the project to take long to build once it is started.

According to Gambrell, each of the four units will house two people comfortably.

He said that the units will be about 1000 square feet and the addition will be connected by a heated hallway to the main Wilkinson Center.

Gambrell said that the hospital feels the demand is there for the additional units.