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Meeting today to show plans to regenerate Wills Memorial Representatives from GMK Associates Design-Build Division, of Columbia, S.C., will be at a called public meeting between the Wilkes County Board of Commissioners and the Wills Memorial Hospital Authority this morning to describe and explain a plan for the "regeneration" of the hospital. The meeting is set for 11 a.m. to- day, March 29, and is open to the public. At an earlier joint meeting of the two groups, hospital CEO Marvin Goldman, speaking for the Authority, first suggested that the County Commissioners back the financing of the $18 million project. Commissioners expressed some reservations and the second meeting was scheduled so that plans and other specific issues could be addressed. However, Goldman indicated that while there are some drawings and sketches illustrating some possibilities, there are no set plans or blueprints at this point. Nevertheless, GMK has done extensive studying of the condition and needs of the hospital and has developed drawings for review. The regeneration plan involves new construction, refurbishment, and demolition of the current 46- year-old hospital structure. The result would be an enlarged and better equipped hospital up to current building codes and "able to serve for another 50 years," authority spokesmen say. Meanwhile, the existing building is suffering from almost 50 years of wear and Authority members are worried that the structure, especially the plumbing, could fail "catastrophically" at any time resulting in a total or partial shutdown of operations. The Authority has asked the county for backing because, due to its weak financial position, it cannot secure a loan on its own merits and a county-backed bond issue would provide funding "cheaper and faster" than other available sources. But if the hospital defaults, the county must pay. Still, the Authority is confident that the county would never actually have to spend any money on the project. Only if the hospital fails totally, would the county be responsible for the debt, spokesmen say. If the hospital did fail, however, the county's annual liability would be over $1 million annually until the end of the term. Commissioners worry about having to raise taxes if that should happen.
It is not known if the Commissioners will act on the Authority's proposal at today's meeting or delay a decision until later.
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