Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, July 24, 1990 TAG: 9007240276
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: BEDFORD/FRANKLIN
SOURCE: DAVID M. POOLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ROCKY MOUNT LENGTH: Medium
Hospital officials said they did not know how much it will cost to clean up the petroleum-tainted soil at Main Street and Floyd Avenue.
"It's going to be an added, unexpected cost," Franklin Memorial Administrator Bud Thompson said Monday.
Thompson said the hospital would submit a proposal to the state Water Control Board for removal of the tainted soil.
The contamination was discovered last month when construction crews noticed that soil samples had an obvious odor of gasoline.
Later tests determined that the gasoline had spread from the site to an area beneath Main Street and a small portion of the present hospital property. Some 2,000 cubic feet of soil may need to be removed and disposed of, Thompson said.
Thompson said the clean-up is not expected to delay the October groundbreaking for the expansion. But it could add to the cost of the project, which was funded in part by more than $1.2 million in contributions from the community.
Thompson said some of the costs could be recovered through insurance or by taking legal action against prior owners responsible for the contamination.
Franklin Memorial Hospital, which two years ago became affiliated with the Roanoke-based Carilion Health System, announced the expansion and renovation as a way to avoid closing, which hundreds of other rural hospitals have done in recent years.
The plan is to keep Franklin Memorial Hospital open by redefining its role in the local health-care system. Most inpatient services will be shifted to Roanoke Memorial Hospital, the flagship of the Carilion system.
Franklin Memorial will focus on providing outpatient services and treating patients who do not need critical or specialized care.
Most of the proposed 15,800 square feet of additional space will be devoted to outpatient clinics. The number of overnight beds will be cut in half from its current level of 62.
The project will be funded by $1.5 million each from Franklin Memorial Hospital and Carilion. A fund drive aimed at the local community topped its $1.1 million goal. The Franklin County Board of Supervisors made the largest single pledge - $300,000 spread out over the next five years.
by CNB