Byron Woods, an engineer with Municipal Consultants of Birmingham who is contracted out with the city to oversee the hospital sewer project, said he expects to start soliciting bids for the sewer line project next Thursday, and to have a company start the actual installation of sewer lines by the first of next year.
Officials say the new Veterans Home will also use the sewer line.
Woods said once work begins on the sewer line project, the contractor will have 45 days to complete the installation of 1,100-1,200 feet of sewer line.
He said he expects the work to be completed by mid-February.
He said city officials should open bids submitted for the project Thursday, Nov. 18, so the council can accept the low bid at its Nov. 22 meeting.
The city is completing the water line work to the hospital site and should have water on the site within 30 days, officials say.
Mike Martin, the city’s street superintendent, said last week the city still needs to obtain a water line easement from Jefferson State Community College, but that should be no problem.
Martin said he’s hoping the college will go ahead and give the city verbal approval, so water line work can begin soon on the college campus property.
Work at the hospital site continues and 60-70 percent of the foundation for the facility is complete.
The hospital construction site is just north of Interstate 20, west of the Jefferson State Community College campus.
The hospital project is a joint venture between St. Vincent’s Health System, the St. Clair County Commission, Pell City, the St. Clair Healthcare Authority and the St. Clair County Economic Development Council.
The 79,000 square foot, two-story hospital will have 40-beds and will replace the old St. Vincent’s St. Clair Hospital on Dr. John Haynes Drive.
The ground floor of the hospital will house the emergency department, laboratory, dietary department or cafeteria, administrative offices, hospital chapel, lobby and other departments.
Surgery, same day surgery preparation and recovery/observation, waiting, critical care unit, inpatient room and pharmacy are planned for the second floor of the new hospital.
The hospital will have state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment, including CAT scan, MRI and nuclear medicine.
The new hospital will sit on 20 acres, adjacent to where the construction of a Veterans Administration Home is planned.
An onsite video camera will document construction of the hospital.
The public can watch the construction progress of the hospital from a live Internet feed from the actual building site. The public can view the construction progress, which will include time lapse video, on the St. Vincent’s Health System’s website, or by going to hoarcons.dyndns.org.
In other matters Monday night, the council approved surplus items to be sold on GovDeals.com.
Contact David Atchison at datchison@dailyhome.com.
