A LOT: HOSPITAL WORKS ON FACILITIES

Crews are putting the finishing touches on a three-story, 198-space parking facility at Southeast Missouri Hospital.

The structure opened for parking this week.

Completion of the parking facility was the first step in Southeast's five-year building plan. The hospital plans a $30 million expansion that will increase the size of the facility by more than 40 percent.

The keystone of the project is construction of a four-story, 105,000-square-foot clinical services building.

Assistant Administrator Richard Meyer said plans for the clinical services building were issued to contractors Tuesday.

"We expect to receive and open bids from the contractors for the project near the end of March," Meyer said. "If the bids are in line with the architect's and engineer's estimates, construction on the building could begin about the first of June."

The parking garage was a necessary forerunner to new construction because some parking areas east of the hospital will be eliminated when the clinical services addition is built, James Wente, hospital administrator, has said.

"The parking garage is about 98 percent finished," said Chuck Keppler, director of Human Resources. "There is still some painting that needs to be on some of the metal work. The weather is holding that up." The items that need to be finished are cosmetic things, he said.

"This is a deluxe garage," said Keppler. It cost about $1.6 million to complete.

"It has a seismic design and was constructed to meet all those kinds of codes," Keppler said. "We also tried to build an attractive structure that would integrate well in the residential setting. When you do that, it also means it will cost more."

Hospital officials are pleased with the result.

"A lot of trees have been planted around the garage," Keppler said. "I think it is really going to look nice."

The five-year development plan, to be completed in early 1996, includes three phases.

Phase one: Expansion of the hospital's mechanical building, expected to begin in late March; installation of a 60,000-gallon water reserve system to provide an emergency water supply for the hospital in the event of a natural disaster; construction of a Union Electric substation to meet projected electrical demands of the new construction; and construction of an enclosed, climate-controlled pedestrian corridor linking existing parking structures with the main hospital.

Phase two: Construction of a four-story, 105,00-square-foot clinical services building. This building will be constructed just east of the Harrison Annex.

It will house emergency services; expanded surgery services, including four new operating rooms for cardiothoracic, orthopedic and neurosurgery and expanded outpatient and post-op facilities; expanded radiology services; expanded cardiac catheterization and non-invasive cardiology services; 12 additional intensive care beds; additional laboratory space; and new landing pad and ancillary support services for LifeBeat Air Medical Service.

Phase three: Renovation of vacated emergency and radiology service areas; expansion of the main hospital lobby; expansion of rehabilitation services, GI laboratory and medical records; and construction of additional community education facilities.

The architect for the project is the Christner Partnership of St. Louis.