Hospital District, Travel and Tourism concerns

I have some concerns about a couple of articles in the Sept. 21 edition of the paper. At the Town Council meeting discussion of the new taxpayer funded Memorial Hospital, the Board was asking for an additional $1.5 million as there were three “unforeseen expenses.”

1. Due to geotechnical investigation, the hospital addition will need a stronger foundation. We have the “largest mineral hot springs in the world,” and it surprises the engineers NOW that we need special foundations?

2. I think anyone with eyes and a year of college could see there’s an asbestos issue when you walk through the hospital. Yet this wasn’t seen by the experts for the original report the voters here in Hot Springs County voted on?

3. I think any graduating high school student understands basic inflation. 14.2 percent construction inflation rate increase ($2.3 million above the original $16.4 renovation budget) already? Just since the last election in November 2016 on the master facility plan finished in 2015? Really? I don’t see wages increasing by 14 percent. The population of Thermopolis hasn’t increased 14 percent for new property taxes to pay this increase. 14 percent more new industry/business in town? An whoever SLIB is that is supposed to help pay this, is still using taxpayer money.

Also the article quotes “they’re in a bit of a rush to get the application in” and there are two times every year they can request more money for this hospital renovation project. During ALL remodeling projects, contractors “find” additional problems that need to be solved with additional money. We can expect one contractor or another to come before the board asking for more money virtually every meeting.

How could the Hospital District budget given the people of Thermopolis to vote on be so far off SO SOON into this project?

Then there was the article on How to Make Thermopolis a Destination by Mark Dykes. I can take that one apart but I’m out of patience. I’ll leave it at saying thank you to Rick Tudor who was the only Travel and Tourism board member to vote “no” on wasting more taxpayer money for what is essentially a paid vacation. Heads up: the state isn’t going to miraculously come up with some grand ideas to make Thermop into a new Park City. And all these studies “to gather information regarding people who stay in Thermopolis?” I think anyone with access to a computer and a phone can glean this data without spending a fortune for more studies, especially when it was noted lodging tax receipts were down considerably compared to last year’s collection.

Lastly, $10K was approved for more visitor guides. When I’ve walked through a local business I’ve seen unboxed roped bundles (100 booklets?) of visitor guides from other counties sitting on their tables with other magazines. They stay there unopened for months. What does that say about our visitor guides being dropped off where??? Perhaps a list of all specific locations our guides are being deposited would be useful before just throwing more taxpayer money at the situation. (The visitor guides referred to here are those printed by the HSC Travel and Tourism, not the Thermopolis Independent Record.)

By the way, your journalists at the IR are doing a good job. Congrats.

Sincerely,

A handicapped, property owning, ailing, Vietnam Vet and broke taxpayer living on Social Security recently kicked off Medicaid; i.e. just your average concerned citizen.