Small Town News

Scott White gets dozen of land proposals

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Scott & White Healthcare announced Monday it has received more than a dozen land proposals for the future Lake of the Hills Regional Medical Center since renewing a land search last week.

The Temple-based healthcare provider terminated its purchase agreement, signed March 2009, with Crossroads Medical Campus property owners, citing Crossroads' failure to develop 22 acres of land just southwest of the US 281-SH 71 intersection, which had been a requirement for Scott & White to purchase the land and begin the hospital's construction.

The 22 acres and an additional adjacent 18 acres, donated by Crossroads to the Llano County Hospital Authority (LCHA), which partnered with Scott & White April 2008, has been abandoned as the hospital's future site. After several time extensions, Scott & White terminated its contract upon its Feb. 5 expiration date.

The City of Marble Falls is spending more than $14 million to extend water and wastewater lines to serve the hospital, Crossroads and Flatrock Springs developments and has annexed the land surrounding the old site.

Marble Falls City Manager Ralph Hendricks called Scott & White's new land search "a good thing" and said the city does not foresee any delay or modification to the water/wastewater line extension project. The city has completed most of its 11-phase extension project and a water tower has been erected on the original site.

"Our goal is to keep this process on track and moving forward," said Peter Brumleve, chief strategy officer for Scott & White. "We will scrutinize the proposals we've received using a host of criteria, including compatibility with the infrastructure work already started by the City of Marble Falls."

Scott Clark, Scott & White spokesperson, said Monday that Scott & White and LCHA have received more than a dozen proposals for land options from developers and others indicating interest in the project, adding that the new site is being considered for the same area near the US 281-SH 71 intersection annexed by Marble Falls. Clark would not comment on exactly where land is being proposed or by whom.

"We are heartened by the response to-date, which reaffirms our belief that we will be able to identify a new partner in a timely fashion," Brumleve said. "We of course won't be able to accept every proposal, but the response has provided us with several potential options for making the best choice."

The $140 million nonprofit Lake of the Hills Regional Medical Center is expected to have about 100 beds and more than 250,000 square feet of space.



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© 2010 Burnet Bulletin Burnet, Texas. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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