Currently the Hospital Commission holds approximately $3.4 million in bank accounts, primarily to cover the costs of taking over hospital operations should Allegiance vacate the premises. It appears that city council had their eyes on some of those funds as it has requested that the Hospital Commission buy the Norris Street property.
Chair Dr. John House informed commissioners that the city-owned property for sale at 25 Norris received one bid for $45,750 from Windle & Associates, which was rejected by council. House said he believes that the Norris property should be owned and operated by the Hospital Commission, as it was originally the convent for the nuns working at the hospital. It has most recently been a doctor’s office. House reminded commissioners, “The city wanted us to buy it.”
Since the commission refused, the auction was made public and now the city has rejected the one offer it received. House said the hospital may need the space now that the Commission is planning to regain control of operations. House said that Allegiance has cut back on health services, and the commission plans to reverse that to provide more services back to the community.
Mayor Butch Berry provided House with an appraisal of the property, and House said this appraisal provided an estimated value of $102,000, which some commissioners found exaggerated. Commissioner Peggy Duncan laughed and said, “I wonder who they got to do the appraisal?” It was noted that the appraisal was performed by Bill Featherstone the Chair of the Eureka Parks Commission, It was stated during the discussion that the property needs repair, has a dirt floor basement and the smell of mold is evident immediately upon entrance.
“I just can’t imagine that little postage stamp of nothing land is worth that much money,” commissioner Dr. Christopher Baranyk said. “It probably needs to be bulldozed.”
House stated that the mayor would take any reasonable offer for the property and Duncan replied with the question, “Well if they wouldn’t take $45,000, what do they consider reasonable?” Commissioner Leva Murphy said, “But thing is, is that, it’s really ours. We were the one that built the house. The property has always been ours. But because everything that we own belongs to the city, they appropriated it and now they want us to re-buy it because they want money for an elevator in the Auditorium.”
Baranyk agreed and Murphy continued, “It’s a scam. If they recognize that we need it they should give it to us.”
“I agree one hundred percent with you, Leva,” House said. “That’s what I said in the beginning. They should just give it to us.” Discussion resulted in the commission unanimously voting in favor of the following resolution: “We resolve that as the Norris Street property has been a part of the greater hospital property since it was built and seeing that the City would like to dispose of that property, the Hospital Commission requests the City return it back to our care.”