Options to renovate, replace Trigg explained

An engineer explained to county commissioners three options on dealing with an aging Dr. Dan C. Trigg Memorial Hospital in Tucumcari - building a new facility, renovating it or using a hybrid of the two.

Either way, it's going to cost at least $19 million and likely more.

Mike Williams, a healthcare planner and principal at Stantec Architecture in Phoenix, talked by videoconference about those options from a feasibility study for the hospital during a Quay County Commission meeting Thursday. The study evaluated the condition of the nearly 60-year-old facility and the county's future options.

Though Trigg Memorial Hospital, built in 1965, is well-maintained overall, Williams said several aspects of its infrastructure are near the end of their lives. Those include the HVAC system, heating and cooling pipes, plumbing, medical gas system and parking lot. He also said the hospital's electrical system is in good condition but doesn't meet modern code.

Williams said the hospital's wear and tear are equivalent to a 100-year-old structure because it's used 24 hours a day.

• Option A for the hospital is building a new, 36,000-square-foot facility on a donated tract of land just south of the current site. Williams said that could be built for $19.2 million over 20 months if it was started this year.

• Option B is a "renovate in place" plan. Williams said one section of unused surgical space could be repurposed during renovations, but he described the plan as "difficult and laborsome." He said it would be more expensive because it requires more time for the contractor. Williams said that would be done for $21.4 million over 30 months.

• Option C is a hybrid of new construction and renovations. He said Trigg Hospital's utility plant, kitchen, dining areas and officers would be demolished and rebuilt anew - about 9,000 square feet altogether. Williams said that could be done for $22.2 million over 26 to 28 months.

Williams also added 8% to 2023 cost estimates due to inflation.

Commission Chairman Frank McCasland asked about adding a two-room surgical unit to the plans. Williams said he didn't have an estimate for that, but such units typically cost $800 to $900 per square foot.

Commissioner Jerri Rush, citing an unexpectedly complex kitchen remodel in her home, asked Williams how confident he was in his estimates for the renovation options.

Williams said he had assumed replacing some infrastructure entirely in his estimates. He said one unknown is how much hazardous materials, such as asbestos, exist that need to be abated.

He said he thought the biggest risk is not meeting the construction schedule due to supply-chain issues. Big HVAC units that previously could be supplied in 12 weeks now take 30 weeks or longer, he said.

Commissioners took no action on the feasibility study, as it was listed as a discussion item.

In the commission's previous meeting, commissioners approved a donation agreement with a landowner just south of Trigg as the possible site of a new hospital.

County manager Daniel Zamora said land donated by Country Club Development LLC would give the county more funding opportunities for a new hospital or an addition if it is used within a 10-year period. The land's fair market value is $900,000.

Zamora said he would send a letter to the hospital's operator, Presbyterian Healthcare Services, asking whether a public-private partnership with the county can be considered for such a project.

In other business:

• Commissioners approved an inmate housing agreement with the De Baca County Detention Center in Fort Sumner for $95 a day through June. Quay County Detention Center administrator Christopher Birch explained such an arrangement was needed if a detainee wasn't getting along with fellow inmates or guards.

Birch also said the county jail soon would install 18 new surveillance cameras with fisheye lenses, paid with 2021 capital outlay funds from the legislature.

• Zamora said the county's gross receipts tax revenue dropped slightly in January, which he attributed to the end of Christmas holiday spending. "It's still really good," he said of revenue.

With the legal sales of recreational marijuana starting this month, Zamora said he anticipated those GRT numbers being reflected by June. He said legal marijuana "will come with some issues" but anticipated increases in tax revenue from more spending at area restaurants, gas stations and motels.

• Jason Lamb of the Quay County Extension Office said his office is requesting about $10,000 in additional funding, of which about $3,500 would be the county's share. Lamb said New Mexico State University is recommending a 7% increase in budgets to reflect increases in public education. The other additional funding would be covered by state and federal sources.

McCasland said he appreciated the extension office's work. "We won't make promises, but we will take (the request) under advisement," he said.

• Connie Loveland of Tucumcari MainStreet gave commissioners a 2021 service delivery report. MainStreet services totaled more than $421,000. She said one of the organization's big projects is finishing electrical and streetlight work on Second Street downtown by July.

She said the FORGE business accelerator program has five participants, compared to three the previous year, and will expand in the coming years.

Zamora praised MainStreet, calling it "a great return on investment."

• Commissioners approved an annual resolution stating it totals 1,108.04 miles of certified, county-maintained roads. Road superintendent Larry Moore said it saw no change from last year.

• During public comments, Tom Bruhn complained about a property owner who is using a gate or rope to restrict access to a portion of County Road Y between Logan and Tucumcari. He said three landowners use the road, and the gate is keeping county workers from maintaining it. Bruhn said he wanted the county to resolve the impasse before consulting a lawyer.

• Commissioners approved $1,265.88 in indigent hospital claims in March.

• County Treasurer Patsy Gresham said the second half of property taxes are due April 10. She said 75% of the fiscal year's total taxes have been paid, which she attributed allowing the use of debit cards.