Oakdale Residents Approve Bond To Fund Construction of Oak Valley Hospital Replacement Facility
Oakdale residents last week approved a $37 million bond to rebuild Oak Valley Hospital, the Modesto Bee reports (Miller, Modesto Bee, 9/1). By mail ballot, voters approved plans to build a 58-bed hospital to replace the existing 35-bed facility, which will be demolished so the land can be used for a parking lot (California Healthline, 8/3). About 77.9% of voters supported Measure H, which required support from 66.7% of voters to pass. The 30-year bond will cost property owners an estimated $57.51 per $100,000 of assessed value during the first year and will continue to decrease to an average $31.14 per $100,000. The funding will be part of a $60 million package to finance the construction of a replacement facility for the not-for-profit community hospital. The existing facility was built in 1973, when the area had one-third the population that it does today. Without renovations, parts of the facility would not meet state seismic regulations that will be implemented in 2008, according to Oak Valley CEO John Friel. "This bond passage was pivotal because this $37 million is a little more than 60% of the entire replacement cost, so it was key that this be passed in order for us to move forward," he said (Modesto Bee, 9/1).
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