YOU ARE HERE: Central Kentucky Home→Collections→Emergency Room

Decision tabled on McDowell helipad site

September 10, 2009|By DAVID BROCK

It will be at least another month before the Danville Architectural Review Board decides whether to allow Ephraim McDowell Health to tear down the former Advocate-Messenger building to make room for a helipad.

On Wednesday, the board tabled a decision on the hospital's request to raze the vacant building near the corner of Fourth and Walnut streets. In the meantime, the hospital will study the possibility of removing only the newer, rear portion of the building.

McDowell obtained a permit to demolish the building on the same day that Danville City Commission approved an expansion of the downtown historic district to include much of McDowell's property.

On Wednesday, McDowell CEO Clark Taylor said the hospital will use space created by removing the building for parking before eventually adding a helipad and expanding the emergency department.

Taylor stressed the importance of improving traffic flow around the emergency room, which has increased service 50 percent in the last 10 years.

A letter from hospital general counsel Margaret Young Levi said maintaining the old newspaper building would create financial hardship for the hospital because it would divert resources away from health care.

The hospital's argument continued to be met with opposition on Wednesday.

Roger Stapleton from the Kentucky Heritage Council, who surveyed the building on Wednesday, said it would qualify for the National Register of Historic Places and questioned tearing it down altogether.

"It is not as old as some of the other buildings, but it ties what remains of the streetscape on that block to the rest of downtown," Stapleton said. "Losing another building, whether it be to parking or a helipad, would be detrimental."

ARB member Ken Medaris said he is skeptical of whether the helipad, which has not yet been approved by aviation officials, would ever be built.

"I would hate to go tearing that building down for 10 parking spaces," Medaris said.

Taylor urged the board to consider the special circumstances of the parking area that serves the emergency department.

"I don't know that all parking lots are created equal," Taylor said. "We are talking about parking for ambulances and other emergency vehicles."

It appeared that the review board was headed for a vote. However, Taylor requested more time to look at the feasibility of removing only the rear of the building, a move suggested by several review board members.

The board is tentatively scheduled to meet next on Oct. 21.

|

|

|