Washington County, Va., Officials Mull Hospital As Office Space

ABINGDON, Va. – As Johnston Memorial Hospital continues the process to gain approval for a new facility, the hospital building is about to be listed for sale.

One possibility for its future – a county government complex.

"It is an existing building within the town of Abingdon that is of the right size and the right location to house county offices," County Administrator Mark Reeter said.

"I think the Board [of Supervisors’] Facilities Committee wants to take a look at the hospital if the Board of Trustees will make it available."

The county, which recently submitted a letter expressing its interest in the building, was the first entity to do so, said Steve Givens, chief operating officer for the hospital.

He said hospital officials expect to receive state approval in May or June for a new facility proposed for the Exit 19 area, and at that point, a committee would be formed to evaluate proposals and make a decision about the building "that’s in the best interest of the hospital and the community."

Because of Johnston Memorial’s recent affiliation with Mountain States Health Alliance, Givens said a portion of the 200,000-square-foot complex possibly could have a health-care use, but no such determination has been made.

"There have been suggestions of nursing homes, assisted-living facilities, educational facilities, senior living-type facilities ... but the only formal thing we have at this point is from the county," he said.

"I know our board is very concerned about making sure whatever this facility is used for is something that fits in with the surrounding area, fits in with what the town has planned, so we want to be very sensitive to that."

Abingdon Town Manager Greg Kelly said the town doesn’t have a use for the building but officials want to facilitate the search for a new owner.

"There have been a few developers that have contacted me who have expressed some interest in it," Kelly said, declining to name the two out-of-town developers.

Library Director Charlotte Parsons expressed enthusiastic interest at a recent Board of Supervisors meeting in using part of the hospital building for a library should the county buy and renovate it. Board members said it would be taken into consideration.

Reeter said many options are being considered, and it will be three to seven years before county offices move to another building – be it a newly constructed complex, which has been discussed for years, or a renovated building like the hospital.

The estimated cost of a new administration building is $20 million to $25 million; with a new sheriff’s office included, the estimated cost is $35 million to $40 million.

Reeter said cost projections have not yet been developed for a possible hospital renovation project.

"The bottom line is the per-square-foot cost of new construction versus renovation," he said. "And there are a lot of uncertainties that can get into particularly renovation projects."

He said once the hospital gives the go-ahead to look the building over, six months of study would likely be needed to determine whether it would be suitable for a county office complex.

Givens said the projected date to move into a new hospital facility is the spring of 2010 – and he hopes by then a new owner can be found for the current hospital.

"The ideal situation would be for us to be able to vacate the building, move into our new facility and have someone take this over right after that," Given said. "That would be the ideal. I’m not sure it’ll work that way or not."

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