Columbia County and Augusta University Health officials are beginning the process of building a 100-bed hospital at Exit 190 off I-20.
Commission Chairman Doug Duncan said they have met with AU Health staff.
“We’re waiting on their estimates back on the cost of the project. We had one meeting, and we’re waiting for them to come back to us with details,” said Duncan.
MORE: Decision Made on Columbia County Hospital Development
CEO Augusta University Health Katrina Keefer said they issued an architect request for qualifications on July 13 and anticipate selecting an architect by September.
“The construction manager will follow after that. The competitive selection process is going to be important to everyone for transparency’s sake,” said Keefer. “We are working with the department chairs and others within the AU Health community to help us think through appropriate services to be provided there to ensure we not only have great clinical care but also a patient and family centered environment.”
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When the project was first announced in 2014, it had a price tag of about $150 million.
“The county has committed our $30 million, which is the 20% that was originally proposed,” said County Manager Scott Johnson. “We have that money in the bank. We’re ready to move forward with that.”
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices have increased just over nine percent since then, meaning the project as originally envisioned could cost almost $163.9 million in 2020 dollars.
“If there’s a cost overrun over the original $150 million, the agreement says we have to go back and see how we’re going to fund that. They’re working with architects and engineers trying to get a really good estimate of what it’s going to cost,” said Johnson.
Keefer said, “We’d be silly to think that this hospital in 2021 dollars would not cost more than the estimate in 2014. So, we really have to work hard to ensure we have the right design and understand the right price.”
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Keefer and Johnson both said it is possible Columbia County could do what Paulding and Rockdale counties did to pay for hospital construction.
“The county set up a hospital authority that backed the bonds for the 20%, and the state found that to be sufficient. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a 20% contribution of cash. It could be a 20% contribution in the way of bonds that the hospital then pays back,” Johnson said.
MORE: Planning for the First Hospital in Columbia County
The plan calls for building a two-story, 260,000-square-foot hospital. It will have 18 emergency room beds, a level II trauma center, 24 intensive care rooms, 76 medical-surgical beds and six operating rooms. It will be built on 82 acres near I-20 in Grovetown.
Keefer anticipates it will take about four years to complete the project.
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a Staff Reporter with The Augusta Press. You can reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com.
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