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A project that has been underway with the city for more than five years - the restoration of the old Martindale Clinic - still needs more than a quarter of a million dollars in grant money.
Hope City Manager Catherine Cook recently gave an update to the Kiwanis Club on what she calls two city projects that are not “your run of the mill projects.” The two projects are the Martindale Clinic project and the city's involvement with with the Southwest Educational Co-op building.
Cook said the Martindale Clinic project has been underway for “seems like forever.”
“But sometimes the government takes on projects because no one else would be able to accomplish them,” Cook said. “It does take a long time.”
Cook said she believes the city will finally have all the funding needed to complete the renovation, of the unused medical facility, which will house the Christian Charitable Clinic when it is completed.
“The only thing that keeps us going is knowing it is going to be a worthy cause,” Cook said.
The Christian Charitable Clinic, which provides free medical care to needy families, currently operates out of the First Baptist Church in Hope. Cook said the Martindale building, which was constructed in 1951, and has been closed since 1978, is in good shape.
“It had been vandalized and at some point got some water damage,” Cook said.
The city also had to work with the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality to have some asbestos removed and Cook said the building is now clear of hazardous materials. Some aged pharmaceutical items also had to be disposed of properly, according to Cook.
Cook said they have not yet received a grant check for the completion.
“We are in the application process and it looks good,” Cook said.
Cook also talked about the Southwest Educational Cooperative Building that began three years ago. The co-op facility, currently housed in the Edith Brown Elementary building, was in need of a new building. The organization serves a 12 county in area.
Cook said teachers, school officials and administrators use the facility for training and professional development. Those working and meeting in the building have become overcrowded.
It is also an older building, according to Center Director Lindy Franks. The city became involved in the project, because the Co-op itself was not allowed to borrow money for the construction of a new facility.
“They needed a new building and and worked out the details to build a new building at the University of Arkansas Community College at Hope, but some of the rules in the Arkansas State Constitution and attorney general's opinions, the Co-op can't actually borrow the money,” Cook said.
She said the city must borrow the money for construction, then lease the building to the co-op. The city leases the property from the college.
“So we put together an agreement to do that. We hope to see this completed and the Co-op get their building sometime in August,” Cook said.
She said the project has been interesting but complicated. She said another city that started similar project hasn't gotten anywhere. The local project could easily have fallen into that situation, according to Cook, because there were so many places during which the process could have broken down.
“But it is a cooperative project and our community has that as one of its core values, that we get a lot of things done cooperatively,” Cook said.
She said the new building in construction currently on the UACCH campus is an ideal location.
“It is a close relationship anyway,” Cook said.
Cook said she is happy the Co-op is going to be located in Hope.
“It could have easily ended up somewhere else. It serves a 12 county area and could have ended up in another city. We have been working on that project for about three years and it is one we are really looking forward to seeing it done,” Cook said.
She said she hope to see the Martindale project completed by this time next year.
A project that has been underway with the city for more than five years - the restoration of the old Martindale Clinic - still needs more than a quarter of a million dollars in grant money.
Hope City Manager Catherine Cook recently gave an update to the Kiwanis Club on what she calls two city projects that are not “your run of the mill projects.” The two projects are the Martindale Clinic project and the city's involvement with with the Southwest Educational Co-op building.
Cook said the Martindale Clinic project has been underway for “seems like forever.”
“But sometimes the government takes on projects because no one else would be able to accomplish them,” Cook said. “It does take a long time.”
Cook said she believes the city will finally have all the funding needed to complete the renovation, of the unused medical facility, which will house the Christian Charitable Clinic when it is completed.
“The only thing that keeps us going is knowing it is going to be a worthy cause,” Cook said.
The Christian Charitable Clinic, which provides free medical care to needy families, currently operates out of the First Baptist Church in Hope. Cook said the Martindale building, which was constructed in 1951, and has been closed since 1978, is in good shape.
“It had been vandalized and at some point got some water damage,” Cook said.
The city also had to work with the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality to have some asbestos removed and Cook said the building is now clear of hazardous materials. Some aged pharmaceutical items also had to be disposed of properly, according to Cook.
Cook said they have not yet received a grant check for the completion.
“We are in the application process and it looks good,” Cook said.
Cook also talked about the Southwest Educational Cooperative Building that began three years ago. The co-op facility, currently housed in the Edith Brown Elementary building, was in need of a new building. The organization serves a 12 county in area.
Cook said teachers, school officials and administrators use the facility for training and professional development. Those working and meeting in the building have become overcrowded.
It is also an older building, according to Center Director Lindy Franks. The city became involved in the project, because the Co-op itself was not allowed to borrow money for the construction of a new facility.
“They needed a new building and and worked out the details to build a new building at the University of Arkansas Community College at Hope, but some of the rules in the Arkansas State Constitution and attorney general's opinions, the Co-op can't actually borrow the money,” Cook said.
She said the city must borrow the money for construction, then lease the building to the co-op. The city leases the property from the college.
“So we put together an agreement to do that. We hope to see this completed and the Co-op get their building sometime in August,” Cook said.
She said the project has been interesting but complicated. She said another city that started similar project hasn't gotten anywhere. The local project could easily have fallen into that situation, according to Cook, because there were so many places during which the process could have broken down.
“But it is a cooperative project and our community has that as one of its core values, that we get a lot of things done cooperatively,” Cook said.
She said the new building in construction currently on the UACCH campus is an ideal location.
“It is a close relationship anyway,” Cook said.
Cook said she is happy the Co-op is going to be located in Hope.
“It could have easily ended up somewhere else. It serves a 12 county area and could have ended up in another city. We have been working on that project for about three years and it is one we are really looking forward to seeing it done,” Cook said.
She said she hope to see the Martindale project completed by this time next year.
