Samaritan to expand Patton Clinic
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 years, 3 months AGO
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | December 17, 2020 1:00 AM
MOSES LAKE — Construction should start by mid-2021 on a $3,755,035 expansion of Samaritan Healthcare’s clinic near Patton Boulevard, as commissioners approved the project Tuesday.
Gretchen Youngren, executive director of development and communications for Samaritan, said Wednesday when the expansion is completed the clinic will occupy the entire building.
Samaritan Chief Administrative Officer Alex Town said the clinic occupies about 5,500 square feet at 8420 Aspi Blvd. (Even though it’s on a side street, it’s called the Patton Clinic.) Joe Kunkel, a consultant working with Samaritan on its building projects, said the expansion will add 6,200 square feet.
Hospital officials hired an occupational medicine specialist, Town said, and Kunkel said the Patton clinic is the preferred location for occupational medicine services. Two family practice physicians have been hired as well, and eventually their offices will be in the Patton clinic.
Design costs were estimated at $170,000, equipment costs at about $418,750, management costs at about $103,000 and taxes at $255,000. The actual construction will be about $2.6 million.
The construction estimate includes about $150,000 for upgrades to the building’s heating-cooling system. Kunkel said it’s difficult to maintain consistent temperatures with the current system.
Currently, the Patton clinic has a family medicine physician and a physician assistant. There’s also an urgent care clinic, which Kunkel said will be moved to the center of the building as part of the construction.
Hospital officials considered remodeling the space in 2019, Kunkel said, and some of the design work already has been completed. Additional design work will begin in January, and Kunkel estimated that would take about three months.
Once the design is complete, he estimated it would take about two months to hire a contractor and about a month for the necessary permits. Construction is projected to take about eight months, Kunkel said, and completed in the first quarter of 2022.
The contingency fund was budgeted at about $178,000. In answer to a question from commissioner Alan White, Kunkel said the contingency reflects uncertainty about the construction market. Construction costs may have risen since the last time Samaritan went out for bid on a new construction project, he said.
ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Road closures, roundabout, mean construction season underway
EPHRATA — The grass is starting to turn green, the trees are starting to leaf out, construction crews are starting to build roundabouts – hey, it’s spring. At least one roundabout project is in its final phase, held over from fall 2025. The intersection of State Route 282 and Nat Washington Way will be closed the week of April 6 to allow crews to install permanent lights. “This really is the final (closure),” wrote Grant County Administrator Tom Gaines in a media release. “The roundabout will close at 6 a.m. Monday, and we plan to reopen by Friday, possibly sooner if the work finishes early.”
Ybarra announces run for Washington Senate
QUINCY — State Representative Alex Ybarra, R-Quincy, has announced his candidacy for the Washington Senate. If he’s elected, he would replace Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, who announced her retirement in March.
Othello Community Museum to open April 25
OTHELLO — With a couple of new exhibits, a new heating-cooling system, rearranged displays and a thorough cleaning, the Othello Community Museum will open for the summer April 25. The goal, said Molly Popchock, museum board secretary, is to operate for a full season.