State agrees, hospital needs a new boiler
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Published: January 8, 2009
BENNINGTON — The state has approved a certificate of need for a boiler replacement project at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center late in December.
Earlier that month, the project had been recommended by the Public Oversight Committee but the final decision rests with the commissioner of the Vermont Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities and Health Care Administration.
Hospital spokesman Kevin Robinson said on Wednesday the next step would be seeking funding for the estimated $11.8 million upgrade of the hospital's heating and chilling system.
Southwestern Vermont Health Care officials are expected to make a presentation to the Vermont Educational and Health Building Finance Agency later this month.
Robinson said hospital officials hope to receive funding by early to mid-February and begin construction shortly thereafter.
The construction is expected to take 14 to 15 months.
Local permits and an Act 250 permit have already been secured.
The project was slightly delayed in November when the Public Oversight Committee asked for more information about financing.
The Bennington County Regional Commission and the Bennington Energy Committee asked the health-care system to look at the viability of using boilers powered by wood chips but hospital officials said that was impractical because of the costs and because wood-chip-fueled burners need periodic maintenance that requires regular shutdowns.
However, the hospital agreed to commission a study, prepared with input from the regional commission and energy committee, to look at the viability of a wood-chip-fueled heating system as part of a pending hospital modernization project.
Robinson said the results of that study are expected by the end of February.
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