Board of Health selects site of new public health facility

A new home for the Public Health Department took one step forward last Thursday during the Washington County Board of Health monthly meeting, held in Orchard Hill Building 2. The board unanimously approved a motion to build a new facility on Lots 2 and 3 of the County Home Subdivision located across the street from the Orchard Hill complex.

Public Health administrator Danielle Pettit-Majewski said that was the Building and Finance Committee's recommendation. The committee had looked at 11 sites, narrowed it down to two and decided to go with the county-owned site. The other property considered was the Vetter property in downtown Washington.

Newly appointed member Ceanne Alvine asked if transportation would be a problem for public health clients.

"My concerns would be about how will this affect those receiving services in terms of access, if the building and the services, I guess, are all out here away from town," she said.

Pettit-Majewski said, "I will say that was something we carefully thought about. We actually have people who walk their strollers from Old Main housing to downtown to reach us. So for those individuals who are already doing that it's going to be a great deal easier for them to reach us."

Pettit-Majewski said that she asked Chuck Dufano of the Women, Infants and Children program in Johnson County and Washington County for the number of clients served based on their ZIP codes. She said that Washington County serves 600 clients. Of those, 263 live in the city of Washington. The rest are already traveling to the city of Washington for services.

Board member Chris Grier, a chiropractor in Kalona, said, "I think from my perspective of the northern part of the county, maybe it will be a welcome ? it seems a lot easier to get here (near Orchard Hill) and park here than it is to go into downtown and park."

Board member Jack Seward Jr. said that when looking for a site for public health five or six years ago, a major consideration in a grant application was based on clients being able to walk to the site.

"Those grant requirements are no longer in place, so we are not pressured by that," he said. "The location we're looking at was actually considered the last time, and I think it lost out mainly because of the pressure of that grant."

After a few more questions and answers, Alvine said she was "sold" on the location.

Pettit-Majewski also said that a bond referendum for the facility would likely take place in August 2015 rather than in May. She said the May date would be too quick a turnaround.

It wasn't until the board had a motion on the floor about authorizing board of health chairman Virginia Bordwell to sign letters to the other property owners about the decision that Grier asked, "Is there any worry that the county (supervisors) would not approve this lot before we say to the others 'see you later'?"

Seward said the board of supervisors have not discussed the matter as a group.

"All I can tell you is the feeling of the ones that I have specifically discussed individually with is that public health has been put off long enough and we need to do something," Seward said. "I believe they are in favor of moving forward with whatever the group has come to decide is the best way to go."

He also said that the supervisors might look favorably on the location because it won't cost "several hundred thousand dollars" to purchase land.

The motion authorizing Bordwell to sign the letters was approved.