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Page 20-Thursday, September 9, 1982-The Michigan Daily
Hospita
By BILL SPINDLE
If a mail carrier only has to trudge
through rain, sleet, and snow to finish
the job, he or she probably has the envy
of University Replacement Hospital
planners.
Rain, sleet,' snow or any other
weather disturbance for that matter
are almost welcome experiences for
hospital officials, who so far have en-
dured workers strikes, a long fight to
win approval for a funding increase,
and a drop in the state's bond rating.
IN SPITE of the delays and funding
concerns, though, the concrete con-
tinues to be poured over the steel rein-
forcing rods on the 180,000 square foot
site, and planners say that the new
hospital will be a "state of the art"
facility for teaching, research and ad-
ministering the highest quality health
care possible.
Also with the new facility, the
medical school hopes to attract some of
the top faculty and students in the world
to teach, research and study at the
University.
From groundbreaking last October
until the projected completion of the
hospital in 1985, the University will
1 fights many elements
'6
PICTURED IS an artist's rendition of the Replacement Hospital Project, set for completion in 1985.
have invested alhost $100 million, the
state will have chipped in $173 million
(if it is able to sell the necessary bon-
ds), and private gifts will have added
$20 million to the project, according to
University officials. The $285 million
price tag may make the hospital the
largest construction project in state
history.
BUT HOSPITAL planner Marsha
Bremer says the new facility is worth
it. The money invested, combined with
foresight in planning, will enable the
hospital to utilize the latest computer
and communications innovations, she
said.
But Bremer is also quick to point out
that the University has not tried to:
achieve its goals through rampant
spending. The $285 million price tag
represents the lowest cost for achieving
the project's goals, she said.
"I think when it is complete it will be
state of the art," says Bremer, "but it
will by no means be a palace."
A PALACE, though, is exactly what
some state health officials have called
the planned hospital.
"It's a palace of halfway technology
. To spend $285 million on gadgets
won't help (health care)," said Chip
Truskon, a former official of the Com-
prehensive Health Planning Com-
mission of Southeastern Michigan,
which was involved in approving the
project.
Commission Director Terrence
Carroll also raised some questions
about the cost of the project. "How can
(the University) afford to build a gran-
diose hospital when they are so finan-
cially strapped?" Carroll asked.
BUT THE new hospital's troubles
didn't stop with criticism of the price.
With the state just preparing to sell
the bonds to fund the new hospital
project, Moody's investment service in
New York lowered the State Building
Authority's bond rating.
The exact effects of the lowered bond
rating are still uncertain, but if
Moody's doesn't raise the rating by
January-when the bonds are
scheduled to be sold-the state could
encounter trouble raising its share of
the project's cost.
HOSPITAL officials, however, are
optimistic that state bonds to fund the
project will be sold.
Before officials even had a chance to
catch their breath from the lowered
bond rating, the project was hit with
another setback-this time a strike by
construction workers on the site.
On June 1, three trades unions-the
ironworkers, the operating engineers,
and the teamsters-walked off the job,.
delaying construction on the project.
Later in the month the teamsters and
the operating engineers came to an
agreement with their contractors and
returned to the job. Ironworkers;
however, held off until early Jul
before settling on a contract, putting
the project six weeks behind schedule.
Hospital officials are now trying to
determine the cost of the delays to thd
project.
Anti-nuke
movement
shouts
and squirms
(Continued from Page 17)
THE FOLLOWING month, when it
came time for the city to test the sirens
again, the protestors were there, but
the sound wasn't. City officials pulled:
the plug on the siren, trying to avoid the
disturbance. But the city was unsuc--
cessful in its efforts, as the protestors-
many in costume and with painted
faces-screamed and then fell to the
street again anyway.
Die-in organizers say they plan to
stage repeat performances in the fall.
Local supporters of the nuclear
freeze movement were among those
who presented state officials in May
more than 375,000 signatures suppor-
ting a November ballot proposal on the
freeze.
Besides petitioning on the Diag and
around Ann Arbor, University students
gathered 8,000 Detroit signatures for
the proposal, which would compel the
state legislature to call for a bilateral
halt to the production of nuclear arms;
"The students did a tremendous job for
because
wew
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