A “meet and greet” session for subcontractors interested in working on the new Caldwell County Hospital facility was termed a success by hospital executives this week.
The hospital’s board of directors held a special called meeting at noon Wednesday in advance of the board’s regular June meeting, which will be held at the Princeton Golf and Country Club Monday.
“There was a good turnout of interested folks,” said hospital CEO Charles Lovell Jr., in reference to the subcontractors’ gathering, held Tuesday afternoon.
About 30 firms were represented, from a wide-ranging area. Contractors from Princeton, Paducah, Mayfield, Murray, Henderson, Evansville, Nashville and Knoxville all made appearances, Lovell said.
A general contractor for the new facility has already been selected. Board members chose the Nashville firm of Brasfield and Gorrie Construction as the new hospital’s general contractor in January.
The hospital has purchased a 36-acre tract on U.S. 62 West behind the E.W. James & Sons grocery as the building site for the new facility.
The deal was finalized about a month ago, hospital CFO Shane Whittington said Friday.
Board members also used Wednesday’s meeting to approve a $24.5 million hospital budget for the 2008-09 fiscal year.
“As always, it’s a real conservative budget,” Whittington told the board, adding that he felt the budget was also “very achievable.”
The budget projects an operating income of $68,000 and a net income of $458,578 for the hospital in the fiscal year, which begins Tuesday, July 1.
A rate increase of 4 percent was included in the budget, he said. The hospital had intended to raise rates by 2 percent for the current fiscal year but held off while its computer systems were converted.
“In essence, it’s a 2 percent rate increase over the last two years,” Whittington said.
The hospital is anticipating a boost in revenue in connection with the arrival of two new family practice physicians, Dr. Jamie Perry and Dr. William Stafford, this fall.
Perry is expected to open her practice in September; Stafford is scheduled to open in October.
