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Local News

Hastings City Council agrees with the concept of Spectrum Health Pennock's expansion

The Hasting City Council approved the concept of an agreement with Spectrum Health Pennock Hospital (SHPH) as they plan to build a new surgery/ endoscopy center in its west parking lot.

Spectrum Health Pennock President Angela Ditmar and Sean Easter, manager of planning and design for Spectrum Health, discussed the plan with the council Monday.

 

City staff will negotiate with SHPH on several issues. “It’s all negotiable,” Easter said.

 

The hospital asked the council for a 20-year lease of 75 of the 200 parking spaces at Fish Hatchery Park for its staff. Spectrum offers to mill and resurface the entire parking lot and make a number of improvements to the asphalt, lighting and pathways and maintain it for the life of the lease.

They will also improve and extend a sidewalk to the hospital from the park and install a sidewalk along the drive from the parking lot to Green Street so pedestrians don’t share space with cars.

 

Council members had several questions about possible traffic problems with hospital staff coming and going at the same time; denying the public the use of the parking lot, the length of the lease, safety concerns, and how the parking would be enforced, but overall, were receptive to the idea, saying it was a win-win for both the city and the hospital.

 

Easter said the addition of the center will displace about 65 parking spaces now used by patients, visitors and staff.  Spectrum would use the parking spaces from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, leaving the full lot available to the public evenings and weekends when the park experiences peak use.

 

During the design phase, SHPH found the hospital’s west visitor’s parking lot was encroaching on city property. Easter said they needed to make the space two lanes to allow families to drive around to the back of the new center and park and asked the city to sell or lease the “sliver” of land to them. The council consensus was selling them the land was the best option. 

 

City Manager Jeff Mansfield checked with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, who originally donated the Fish Hatchery Park to the city, and learned there are no restrictions on the city’s use or sale of the property.

 

Hospital officials plan to present its site plan for the project at the Feb. 4 Hastings City Planning Commission meeting. Easter said they hope to start construction this April or May.

“This may well provide an opportunity for a partnership where both entities benefit,” Mansfield said, echoing what several others on the council said.

 

 

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