Foundation awards clinic construction bid

According to Judy Hutchinson of the Crook County Hospital Foundation, a bid has been accepted to construct a new clinic in Hulett. The foundation has been pushing towards this moment for many months and broke ground on the site during the Hulett Rodeo this summer.

Five bids were received for the clinic, Hutchinson said. “They were really pretty close in amount,” she added, except one that was dismissed because it was considerably higher.

The contract was ultimately handed to RCS of Rapid City for a total of $2.54 million, which Hutchinson commented is “less than what we had planned on in our original estimates”. Once the contract has been reviewed by Kara Ellsbury, attorney for the Crook County Medical Services District (CCMSD) Board of Trustees, RCS is ready to get started.

“They’re very anxious to get started, of course,” said Hutchinson, who noted that RCS has experience with medical facilities.

In terms of paying for the clinic, Hutchinson reported that donations are beginning to come in and people have stated to her that, “as soon as we see that ground torn up, we’re going to donate”. A “fairly large donation” was received recently for $50,000, for example.

Fundraisers are meanwhile scheduled for spring, said Hutchinson, and the foundation is working on federal and state grants.

Hutchinson also last week asked the CCMSD board about the $434,000 that was raised many years ago and earmarked for the new Hulett clinic. At the time, she said, she was serving on the board herself, and recalls it was used for improvements in the hospital and payroll.

It was necessary, she said, because without it “we would not have made payroll”. However, she asked the board to consider whether and how that funding will be replaced so it can be used for the new clinic as intended.

Expected construction time is around 7.5 months for the new clinic, Hutchinson said, although it’s likely that weather conditions will increase the time needed.