The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

In the eleven months since voters in the Columbia County Hospital District approved a $5.5 million bond levy for a major remodel of Dayton General Hospital, I’ve heard from a number of readers who are concerned that nothing much seems to be happening.

It’s true that most of the action has been behind the scenes so far: a lot of design and budget decisions remained to be made after the vote. But those pieces are mostly in place now, and the curtain will soon lift on a show that’s certain to be action-packed.

As we report in the front-page this week, the Hospital District board approved a preliminary site plan for the remodel during last week’s meeting. The board has set an aggressive goal of April 1 next year to begin construction.

Between now and then, all of the detailed design documents have to be created and approved by the board and various government authorities; a general contractor must be selected, who must then hire subcontractors; and a plan must be formed to allow the hospital to continue functioning during construction.

And if that weren’t enough, during the same meeting, the board also discussed plans for replacing their CEO and board president. Outgoing CEO Jon Smiley and board president Ted Paterson both exited their positions this week.

The committee reviewing candidates to replace Smiley has narrowed its list to five. Interviews will begin soon, and the board hopes to have their new person in place before the end of the year.

During their regular October meeting, the board will likely select a new president from among its existing members and also choose a person to fill Paterson’s board slot. Another new member will be joining the board after elections this fall.

I know this is switching metaphors, but those folks are about to jump into an alligator’s nest – right about feeding time.

This is a risky time for CCHS, and we wish them the best. Their remodel schedule and budget are both aggressive, and they’ll have a new team leading the way as they begin construction.

We’ll continue to follow the action closely.