Ad hoc committee idea tabled for now

“Can the hospital bond be used to do everything the hospital wants, but just not buy the land?” This question was posed at Wednesday night’s meeting of the Sonoma City Council by Mike O’Brien, one of several neighbors who voiced strong objection to the building site chosen by the hospital, and it invites a clarification as to exactly what the $45 million general obligation bond would buy.
According to the Sonoma Valley Health Care District Resolution No. 265 (available on the web at http://www.svh.com/pdf/Res.265_GO-Bond-$45MM.pdf), general obligation bonds would be issued and sold “for the development, expansion, improvement, acquisition, construction, equipping and renovation of health facilities of the district.” Board president Dick Kirk has said that the money will be used to achieve financial stability, to repair and refurbish the present facility and to preserve the local 24-hour emergency room. It will also be used to purchase land for new hospital facilities as well as to finance the planning for future construction.
The resolution also states that it is “the intent of the Board to subsequently seek approval from the District electorate for future general obligation bonds to fund the construction and equipping of additional new hospital facilities to be integrated with the existing hospital.” Thus, while the $45 million being sought now would not fund the construction of buildings on the Carinalli property, it would be used to acquire that land and to continue planning for such construction. Therefore, though O’Brien’s question was not directly addressed by the city council, the answer would appear to be, “No.”
Sonoma Mayor Joanne Sanders had placed on the city council agenda a proposal to create an ad hoc committee to help facilitate communication between the hospital and the neighbors. However, Kirk felt that formation of such a committee would be premature. “The hospital board appreciates the mayor’s and council’s interest, but because no planning is happening now and won’t until after the bond issue, the ad hoc committee may be premature.” Others agreed, O’Brien saying, “They’ve put forward the bond, so we have ten weeks before this vote. I ask the Madame Mayor what we’re going to talk about between then and now?”
While the council did not appoint a committee on Wednesday, the mayor expressed her continuing concern, “This city’s been through a lot on this issue and I’d like to get beyond that. I just hope for the sake of the community that we can have some individual communication.” She invited people to visit her during her office hours, on Mondays from 3-4 p.m., at City Hall, in the upstairs conference room.