Progress is reported on a major project on the Texas County Memorial Hospital campus in Houston, legislative officials heard last week.
Rep. Bennie Cook, R-Houston, and Sen. Karla Eslinger, R-Wasola, toured the surgical center that will open this fall at the 66-bed institution. The project has been on the drawing board for years, and is a significant milestone for the county hospital. Dynamic Construction Systems, Springfield, is the general contractor for the $3.3 million project, which also has been a draw during recruitment efforts at the hospital. McNew Electric of Licking is performing the electrical work.
Several funding sources were tapped to make the project a reality:
October 2022 — Delta Regional Authority awarded $332,000 to purchase and install surgery-related equipment. The hospital will match $175,000.
June 2022 — TCMH received a direct $1 million appropriation for the surgery center from Missouri that was spearheaded by Eslinger, who traveled to the county-seat to see the project last week.
May 2022 — USDA Rural Development awarded $1 million to TCMH from its Emergency Rural Healthcare Grant Program.
LICKING WORK
A Community Development Block Grant totaling $1.69 million was received by Licking for a medical building project situated on what once was a car dealership on Highway 32 near U.S. 63
A contract was recently awarded to Gentry Construction Co. Inc. of Houston. Five bids were opened for renovating the 8,400-square-foot former Sturgeon Chevrolet-Buick building into the new TCMH Family Clinic and ambulance base.
Completion is expected in summer 2024.