Supporters of a bond for a new Three Rivers Hospital are exploring their options for what's next, now that the 72 million dollar bond issue went down to defeat in last week's elections, the latest count giving the measure only a 42 percent approval rate, it needed a 60 percent yes vote to pass. Three Rivers Spokesperson Jennifer Best says the mood among supporters last week was downbeat but hopeful:
The hospital had held a couple of meetings to present the plan for a new hospital, also had booths in front of supermarkets to get comment; Best said they heard opinions from all sides:
Best says the hospital board would like to hear from voters from both sides on their reasons for voting the way they did, and figure out their next steps. Best says if they decided to go back to the voters for another try, the earliest it would come up would be next November:
Best says it's too early to know what, if anything, will change if the board does go for another election, whether it be design, square footage, or cost; she says the definitely need to go back to the drawing board to figure out how to meet the community's needs and stay viable.