Bringing ground

The USDA has issued final loan approval for the construction of the North Platte Valley Medical Center which means, according to Construction Superintendent Monty Wardell, “We can finally move forward.”

Wardell said that his firm, contractor Sletten Construction, had been prepared to begin work at the time of the site dedication in October, but delays surrounding bank approval of the plan appraisal put work on hold through the fall.

“We can’t issue contracts without the USDA approval, so we had a lot of renegotiation to do after the first of the year.” Wardell said. Factors such as material cost increases and even the availability of some subcontractors to do the work have complicated the process, he said. “Once we get to the building part, the building is easy, but there’s a lot of paperwork that has to come first.”

Wardell said Sletten is currently developing a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) contract which will be the basis for work with the Platte Valley Healthcare Project (PVHP), the non-profit that will own and operate the hospital. He said they expect to complete the GMP contract by next week, and once it is signed by the PVHP subcontracts and purchase orders can be issued and work can begin.

The first steps, he said, are to level the general area and construct a temporary fence to control access and protect materials and equipment. Once that’s complete, the “dirt work” contractor will begin bringing the site to sub grade so that foundation work can start. Wardell said they will certainly begin work by March 15, but he hopes to bring in heavy equipment earlier.

“We’re pushing really hard now,” Wardell said. “It’s like a rock stuck in the sand—it’s taking a lot of effort right now to get it rolling, but once we do, we expect it to roll right along.”