Renovations and construction are ongoing at Humboldt County Memorial Hospital as part of a $19.2 million expansion project.

“You want to talk about an asset for our community– access to healthcare in rural Iowa is becoming a big issue,” said Travis Goedkin, Humboldt city manager.

In small towns healthcare providers, even if it’s just a clinic, are closing up shop, Goedkin said. The opposite is happening in Humboldt.

“Having the hospital that is adding on, adding services, is a huge benefit for us,” he said.

-Submitted illustration
A rendering gives an idea of what the Humboldt County Memorial Hospital will look like from one perspective when it is completed.

Construction is going very smoothly, said hospital Chief Executive Officer Michelle Sleiter.

“We are fortunate to have such an experienced team on site that specializes in healthcare,” Sleiter said. “That team is comprised of Graham Construction, Construction Management, Sande Construction, General Contractor, RDG Planning and Design, Architect and many more working countless hours to get the tasks completed ahead of schedule.”

“They’re well ahead of schedule. The exterior’s almost nearing completion,” said Kevin Bornhoft, president of the hospital’s board of trustees.

The new building which is currently being completed will house the UnityPoint clinic, the therapy department, and outpatient doctors, Bornhoft said.

“They’ll reorganize some of the existing structure. I know the lab is being moved and expanded,” he said. “I’ve had a few joints replaced, so I’ve been making use of the physical therapy facilities. It will be really nice for those guys–they’ll have room to stretch their arms, and expand our service line there.”

-Submitted graphic
Images show what the Humboldt County Memorial Hospital will look like on the inside.

The building project includes a new two-story addition, and a new main entrance which will face North 15th Street.

The new construction is almost 40,000 square feet, Sleiter said. Currently, the temporary main entrance is off 15th Street in between the surgery center and Springvale Assisted Living.

“Our Therapy Department also has a private entrance, which is located just west of the main entrance,” Sleiter said. “If you would like to view the project, the best view is from the Super 8 parking lot across the street and for safety reasons please stay outside the construction fence at all time.”

Goals of the project include investing in primary care, preparing for the future, and making sure the space available can keep up with rapid growth.

“It is remarkable to look back over the past few years and see how far our hospital has come in a rapidly changing and challenging healthcare environment,” Sleiter said. “The hospital has grown to be an organization that is focused on improving access, quality of care and having an ‘always’ attitude to fulfill our promise to our patients and each other.

“We are quickly moving towards a consumer-driven environment and the hospital is responding with greater transparency, convenience and customer care. This also includes not only our continued emphasis on being here for times of illness or traumatic injuries, but also improving overall health and wellness.”

Things are happening in downtown Humboldt as well. This fall, the city shut down traffic lights along Sumner Avenue and installed temporary four-way stop signs as it tried out a new concept for traffic.

The timing sensors in the current lights need to be replaced, Goedkin said, and because they’re from the 70s it is hard to get parts for them anymore.

The city also used posts to mark off parts of the street, to show what things would look like if the sidewalks had “bump outs” to help pedestrians.

Nothing has been decided yet about how to move forward, Goedkin said, and the city continues to hold hearings and discuss the possibilities.

Meanwhile the Humboldt Recreation Center opened in December, Goedkin said, and has been an overwhelming success.

“Our membership numbers are nearing 1,200, and that’s memberships, not members. Myself, my wife and my three children are considered one membership,” he said. “That’s half the town. Even my most optimistic projections wouldn’t have come close to how it’s operating.”

The new 71,000- square-foot recreation center was built just north of the Humboldt High School. It includes an indoor walking track, two basketball courts that can be configured into smaller basketball courts, batting cages, two racquetball courts, a weight room, cardio studio, small conference room, multiple offices, a kitchen, locker rooms, a CrossFit area, a spin studio, and a kids’ room.

The town is also coming together to keep the Humota movie theater open. The cinema opened in 1928, but would have closed in September 2018 if not for community support.

The company owning the theater, R.L. Fridley Inc., announced its intention to close the theater down, but also offered to donate the building for free to a community group.

That group is now officially a 501c3, Goedkin said, and was able to take ownership of the building and purchase the projection equipment.

“They are also continuing with their fundraising efforts. They have just taken ownership over from Fridley, as the nonprofit,” he said. “They were able to raise enough funds in a fairly short time to purchase the equipment from Fridley.”

The theater is closed temporarily as the group replaces the seats, Goedkin said.

The city is also looking forward to a new Humboldt Community Animal Shelter, which a separate non-profit group is building in town.

“Fundraising is going to be the biggest hurdle,” Goedkin said. “The animal shelter is currently fundraising. That is a separate non-profit entity that will have land they will acquire to build the shelter.”

Both the city and Humboldt County have donated funds to help purchase the land, Goedkin added.