An unfinished medical tower at Tulare (Calif.) Regional Medical Center is missing two key components: a project manager and funding, according to Visalia Times Delta.
The patient tower was approved in 2005 and construction on the project began in 2010, but it has been long delayed because of construction issues and costs. In 2017, the Tulare Local Health Care District filed for bankruptcy, delaying the project further.
While an $85 million bond was approved in 2005 to fund the tower, another $70 million could be needed for the project, according to the Times Delta. In August 2020, Tulare (Calif.) Hospital said it was seeking proposals for a fundraising strategy for the tower.
Tulare also has struggled to hire a project manager for the project after former manager Gary Sutherlin retired, according to the report. Kevin Northcraft, the hospital board's president, told the Times Delta, "I think we could use one [project manager] now. We've got several projects on the way, and they're stretching [CEO] Sandra Ormonde pretty thin. We're going to recruit. I'm hoping, within a couple of months, we'll have somebody on board."