And all involved in negotiations for the past several years on a new hospital for St. Clair County know that lesson better than most.
It has been a roller coaster ride that spanned multiple hospital affiliations, multiple city and county government administrations and on again, off again negotiations.
But on Friday, St. Clair County finally tipped because myriad officials, individuals and organizations would not give up the fight for a new hospital.
St. Clair County Commissioner Paul Manning, who had been viewed by some as a possible deal breaker with St. Vincent’s to build a new hospital, told an overflow courtroom Friday he was not a hold out on the project. He was simply a hold-up while trying to get the best deal possible for the taxpayers in St. Clair County.
And his ‘yes’ vote along with the unanimous consent of fellow commissioners spurred the words all had been waiting so long to hear — “We‘re gonna build you a hospital.”
This is a turning point for Pell City and St. Clair County, the likes of which the region has not seen.
Apparently hinging on the deal to build a $28 million facility were a state Veteran’s Affairs nursing home and a nursing school at the Jefferson State Community College campus. Any of the three in their own right would have been something to laud. Together on the same campus, they are cause for tremendous celebration.
Partners for the future is what this trio ought to be called because their presence, their partnership, will mean a brighter future throughout the region.
In the immediate, construction of a hospital facility will bolster the economy. Jobs will be created — both now and in the future. And the kinship among the school, the hospital and the nursing home cannot help but bode well for each other and for the growth of the entire area.
This should not be viewed as a Pell City project because of its locale. The beneficiaries will be many, they will be widespread, and they will cross generations.
Mark it down. Aug. 28, 2009, will be known as the tipping point for which so many have fought for so long.
And years from now, from the vantage point of a region whose landscape has vastly changed from what can be seen today, all involved will look back to that date and know it was well worth the fight.
