New Hospital Shaping Up

The new Sonora Regional Medical Center being built on Greenley road is really looking like a hospital now. “The exterior is finished. On the inside, doors are going up, vinyl is going on walls, paint€™s going on walls,” said Project Manager Val Devitt. “Except for surgery and radiology…we´re still waiting for some state approval on (those),” he added.

Many things in the $41 million hospital have to be checked out by state inspectors.

“Basically, anything that weighs more than 20 pounds and hangs from the ceiling or is (mounted) on a wall or sits on the floor has to have state engineering approval for seismic,” Devitt pointed out. “That system (of approval) just gets backed up sometimes.”

The current state budget crisis is having an indirect effect on the inspection process, according to Devitt. The state has put a hiring freeze for state inspectors in effect. But, “This is the type of review that does take a long time anyway,” Devitt said.

If the inspections are done on time, hospital officials expect to be moved in by November.