'90% finished' design of hospital unveiled

A healthcare planner presented to the Quay County Commission a "90% finished" design of a new Dr. Dan C. Trigg Memorial Hospital in Tucumcari that's expected to approach $30 million.

Mike Williams, a principal and senior healthcare planner at Stantec Engineering that was hired for nearly $1 million to design the hospital, said the new design accounts for a 41,000-square-foot building that includes the addition of a procedure room and remodeling an existing 3,500-square-foot physical therapy building.

Stantec originally envisioned a 35,000-square-foot building until the county requested a procedure room for outpatient surgeries.

Williams said he consulted on the design with other New Mexico hospitals and Presbyterian Healthcare Services, which operates Trigg. He said his experience in designing 19 other hospitals indicates the new Trigg would generate more use from residents after its completion.

Williams said he didn't have a final cost estimate for the hospital but would have that in the coming days after consulting with county and hospital officials.

He said the design should be finalized in the next two weeks, before the New Mexico Legislature begins its session on Jan. 17.

When pressed by lobbyist Clinton Harden and state Sen. Pat Woods, Williams said he was "comfortable" that $30 million would cover the cost.

County Manager Daniel Zamora also said the estimate was "trending close to $30 million" but indicated he would stick to the county's initial request of $25 million from the Legislature.

"If it goes above that, we would have to find funding," Zamora said. "I feel confident in the county's ability to fill the gap."

Williams said due to inflationary pressures, he estimated construction costs would rise 1% each month.

He said current costs for a hospital are between $690 to $700 per square foot.

Williams in his presentation showed what the new Trigg Hospital would have:

- Nine inpatient rooms with toilets and showers;

- Eight emergency-room positions;

- Spaces for CT scans, X-rays, mammography, ultrasound and bone-density measuring;

- A laboratory, pharmacy and pulmonary rehabilitation facility;

- Remodeled physical therapy room;

- A procedure room or gastrointestinal suite.

The presentation included three-dimensional animation that showed aerial views of the hospital, plus renderings of a patient room, emergency department bay, corridor and nurses station.

Williams said he wanted to use "long-life materials" that would enable the hospital to last 50 years or more. He said a sloped canopy near the entrance was influenced by the midcentury architecture of nearby Route 66 motels in Tucumcari.

He said a video of the renderings soon would be posted on the county's website.

"It looks amazing," County Commission Chairman Robert Lopez said.

Commissioner Jerri Rush, however, voiced unease about rising costs of the project, which she partly attributed to the additional 5,000 square feet for the procedure room. Based on that alone, she estimated that would increase the cost $3.5 million.

"It seems like a lot," she said. "We need to remember this is other people's money."

Rush said earlier in the meeting, however, she supported a new hospital based on the current facility's heavy usage.

Lopez expressed reluctance to remove the procedure room to cut costs. He said the county wants to enable residents to stay in Tucumcari for their medical care instead of going out of town for it.

"You don't want to short the project," he said.

Local resident Steve Farmer said a new hospital would be a revenue producer, and it was important for the county to keep medical-care options close to home.

"I would prefer to not have a delay to go to Clovis or Albuquerque," Farmer said.

The current Trigg Memorial Hospital, nearly 60 years old, is reaching the end of its useful life and no longer would meet codes. Williams said Monday that Trigg's plumbing system was beginning to fail.

During public comments, Woods said he wanted a "uniform" stance from residents to take to the Legislature for his funding request.

"I need 100% looking in the same direction," he said. He encouraged residents to text him at (575) 760-8594 or email [email protected] to weigh in on the issue.

Woods said the only reservations he heard about a new hospital is fear of rising taxes. County officials, noting the county's lack of bonding capacity, said local taxes will not rise because of the project.

Later in the meeting, Woods expressed irritation the project was not "shovel ready" before the Legislature convenes.

"I've got some heartburn over that," he said, noting "this is going to be a tough deal to do."

Williams explained he and the county had planned for construction not beginning until October because any appropriation by the Legislature wouldn't arrive until August or September. He said he would need to consult with contractors during that time before breaking ground.

Harden and hospital liaison Richard Primrose apologized to Woods for leading him to believe the project would be shovel-ready in early January. Primrose said they planned to have the project ready to begin construction in October.

Zamora said even if state money for the hospital was available only on a competitive basis, he expressed confidence it would be awarded because the county already has performed a feasibility study, obtained land just south of the hospital for the site and would have a final design ready.