Officials from IU Health Frankfort presented its proposal for a new $30 million facility to the Clinton County Commissioners Monday morning in the Commissioners Room at the Clinton County Courthouse.
“It is prudent for us to build a new facility,” said IU Health Frankfort President Kelly Braverman.
Like the two other presentations to the Frankfort Redevelopment Commission and Frankfort City Plan Commission, Braverman laid out four specific requests to get this facility completed.
First, the county commits to a $5 million economic development incentive payable over 10 years. Second, the county must sell the land to IU Health for $1. Third, the county must collaborate with IU Health and the City of Frankfort to raise $4 million in additional philanthropic and grant support; and fourth, the county must provide all county approvals reasonably requested by IU Health. If all of these are met, IU Health will then commit to the project, which is scheduled to be built behind the current facility with a completion date of 2021.
Braverman added all of this money would stay in Frankfort.
“I was very pleased with the presentation that was made by the Hospital Working Group,” said Clinton County Commissioners President Josh Uitts. “We finally got to reveal our work and get it out there to let everybody know that this is the path that the county and IU have chosen to take to build a new facility and show how important this is going to be to our community for the long term.”
Clinton County Council President Alan Dunn added there is a possibility of getting groups like the Board of Health, Healthy Communities of Clinton County Coalition, the Open Door Clinic and WIC to become part of a agency that is all under one roof near the new hospital.
Braverman added once the new facility is built, the current facility would be demolished and turned into a parking lot with lots of green space.