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Notes Since Lawsuit Filing
MVHS Alerts | News Alerts | Notes
MVHS has a new definition of the "hospital footprint". Was a single 34-acre site, then it became 25-acres. Then they divided the project into two sites; hospital site and a parking garage site. Since the lawsuit, they have begun to call the "hospital footprint" a two-block area (7.3-acres) where the main building would sit and the ER access area. MVHS has eliminated surface parking areas, the parking garage area, as well as the "central utility plant" (CUP) area.
October
10/28/2019 - MVHS is prepared to bulldoze the Columbia Lafayette Neighborhood...
Demolition equip at the ready! Dumpsters, buckets, jaws of destruction, excavators...@MVHealthSystem probably doesn’t care, worry, or wait for codes dept, permits, even Albany courts, only @MayorPalmieri “election optics...”#mvhsdowntown vs. #NoHospitalDowntown pic.twitter.com/2fksHNtvei
— #NoHospitalDowntown (@NoHospitalDwtn) October 28, 2019
10/18/2019 -
10/15/2019 - Construction partner Gilbane Building Company appears to have replaced Turner Construction.
A contract was awarded to a firm large enough to be able to conduct abatement and
Ref.
10/09/2019 - Building a new regional medical center at the St. Luke’s Campus is not an option and hasn’t been for quite some time.
Why?
Ref.
10/04/2019 - Late last week we received the final, fully executed contract for the $300 million in funding from the state, which means that these monies are now available for construction of the new regional medical center Ref.
The land for the concept is not yet owned, other issues not resolved, but the money has been made avaialble?
September
09/24/2019 - The Site Plan was approved by the City of Utica Planning Board. The approval was only for the actual medical center building – not the helistop or parking garage.
The Utica Common Council approved the closure of a portion of Cornelia Street and Sayres Alley to accommodate the medical center building.
NYSDOH granted approval for early construction... construction can begin imminently, once abatement and the removal of the buildings have taken place.
Heavy equipment is now being brought into the downtown location of the medical center, and construction fencing is going up.
Buildings will start to be removed within the next four to six weeks once the Construction Health and Safety Plan (CHASP) has been approved by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The ground breaking for the new regional medical center is scheduled for early December. Ref.
09/20/2019 - “we received approval from the New York State Department of Health to begin early construction! Construction fences are going up, abatement continues and buildings will start to be removed.
Last night, the Utica Planning Board approved the Site Plan for the medical center after an extensive review of comments from City and County agencies and the MVHS responses, read about it in the site plan approved.
The helistop location was removed from the site plan
You may have read in the newspaper that at its meeting on Wednesday night, members of the Utica Common Council “tabled” the decision to close Cornelia Street and Sayres Alley, which is required for the medical center project, because they had a number of questions related to the project. We’ll be meeting with them tonight to answer their questions and request another vote on these items.
Our Finance Team continues to work diligently on the information necessary to obtain financing for the new regional medical center. We expect to close on these funds by the end of October.“ Ref.
09/17/2019 -
As part of the State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) process, Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS) signed a letter of resolution with the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) to adhere to specific measures related to historic buildings and properties once the health system had control of all of the properties. Among these measures are conducting and submitting a complete assessment of the condition of all of the buildings and properties, including photographs of the buildings’ interiors and exteriors, a written assessment and where appropriate and salvageable, the incorporation of architecturally significant features of the removed buildings (i.e., building name panels, significant intact architectural elements, etc.) into the new structure. This assessment is currently being conducted and will then be submitted to OPRHP. MVHS deeply respects the history of our organization and the generosity of those who contributed both time and funds that have brought the healthcare system to this point in time. We are working closely with the architects and interior designers to creatively recognize, honor and celebrate our history and our generous donors in the new regional medical center. We are excited about the opportunity to innovatively showcase our past in a new state-of-the-art medical center and to share this final design with members of our community. Ref.
09/13/2019 - On Tuesday, the Zoning Board unanimously approved the variances necessary for the building project.
Earlier in the week we held meetings with bond rating agencies Fitch, Standard and Poor’s and Moody’s as part of a very involved process to access low interest loans to be used toward the new medical center and to retire other debt.
This is the first time that MVHS as a health system has sought to be seen as an investment grade institution. Another factor that has impacted the budget is time. From delays in regulatory reviews to simply combating the negativity and suspicion caused by misinformation from opponents of the project, time delays contribute to an increase in costs as well.
As for a timeline, it has shifted from the initial projections by about six months. That means that instead of moving into the new Downtown regional medical center at the end of 2022, we’ll be moving in on February 23, 2023.
Per Mohawk Valley Health System’s new CEO, “Everyone that I have spoken with is supportive of the new MVHS Regional Medical Center in Downtown Utica and doesn’t understand why anyone would be opposed.” Ref.
09/06/2019 - We have moved into the next phase of construction with our partner Gilbain Building Company, based in Providence, Rhode Island, a national construction and facility management company.
Additionally, we signed a contract yesterday with a demolition firm to begin removing buildings after abatement is complete.
Ref.
August
08/30/2019 - This week we closed on four City of Utica Urban Renewal Agency (URA) properties which had been conveyed to MVHS.
Additionally, the Observer-Dispatch noted in this article how we’re engaging the community in the process and steps toward the new regional medical center.
Ref.
08/23/2019 - To date we have closed on 23 properties under the new medical center building.
Construction fences are being put in place to secure properties as the abatement (e.g., removal of hazardous materials such as asbestos) process of those sites begins. Last week, both the New York State Department of Health and the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) issued their Statement of Findings as part of the required State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) process. Both certified that the requirements of the law have been met.
In its document, DASNY stated: “The neighborhood is a documented blighted area . . . despite revitalization of surrounding areas over the years, there has been little development in this area for almost 30 years.” Ref.
Not true, see Downtown Developments
08/21/2019 - Our goal is to have a “shovel in the ground” by the end of the year.
Here are some of the next steps toward meeting this goal:
Right now, MVHS has “control” of all 20 properties under the new medical center building, and we’ve closed on 85 percent of these properties and have agreements with the other 15 percent.
Last week, both the New York State Department of Health and the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) issued their Statement of Findings as part of the required State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) process. Both certified that the requirements of the law have been met, that MVHS will “minimize or avoid adverse environmental effects” as much as possible and any unavoidable effects will be addressed appropriately. In its document, DASNY also stated: “The neighborhood is a documented blighted area . . . despite revitalization of surrounding areas over the years, there has been little development in this area for almost 30 years.”
Three City of Utica bodies are engaged in the review of the new regional medical center – the Planning Board, the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Common Council.
The Planning Board will be the body to approve the Site Plan.
The Zoning Board of Appeals will be deciding on variances necessary for the medical center to be built as designed.
The Common Council is considering the discontinuance of both Sayres Alley and parts of Cornelia Street for the new medical center and will hold a public hearing at its meeting on September 18. It is anticipated that all three bodies will act during their meetings this September.
We are awaiting the release of the remaining funding from the Phase Two grant from the State of New York. Last Friday, the Oneida County Local Development Corporation unanimously approved tax exempt bonds of up to $300 million for MVHS, and a mortgage tax exemption if we need to take out a mortgage on the property. Ref.
08/16/2019 - This week, both the Utica Zoning Board of Appeals and the Planning Board considered aspects of the MVHS Regional Medical Center plans. The Zoning Board heard about the variances necessary for the medical center to be built as designed and tabled a vote while they await the County's review of the plans.
And, a point of clarification from last week’s Medical Center Update – the Common Council’s Public Safety Committee voted to call for a public hearing for the discontinuance of both Sayres Alley and parts of Cornelia Street at its second meeting in September. Ref.
July
7/x/2019 -
June
6/x/2019 -
May
5/9/2019 - * * * LAWSUIT FILED * * * News Coverage
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