Groundbreaking Ceremony Planned for JCH&L Clinic Addition
Groundbreaking ceremonies for a new JCH&L Fairbury Clinic are set for Monday, Oct. 19, at 12:30 p.m. The groundbreaking ceremony will be a hybrid ceremony of in-person and virtual held on the west side of the health center facility. JCH&L staff and participants in the ground breaking will attend in person (masked and respecting social distancing where possible), and the public will be invited to join by Facebook Live.
“This is a momentous occasion and we want to give it the attention it deserves,” said Dr. Burke Kline, CEO. “We also want to keep everyone safe in this time of COVID-19. This allows staff and the community to witness this historic event.”
The clinic project is an estimated $8.4 million project which will attach JCH&L Fairbury Clinic to the west side of the health center. It will include a new main entrance to the facility and a future new office area.
“The new location for the clinic will be much more convenient for our clinic patients, especially when they also need hospital services,” Kline said. “It will modernize the clinic, provide better internal handicap accessibility, allow for easier use of technology, and increase the clinic space to allow us to continue to grow.”
The full project is expected to begin on Oct. 12 with construction of a new parking area west of Cedarwood, which needs to be completed before the clinic construction begins to allow for parking. The new parking area will have access from both the Cedarwood parking lot, and the north lot accessible from H Street. Clinic construction will utilize most of the south H Street parking lot, and will mean the south entrance from H Street will be closed.
In the early stages of the project the front entrance circle drive will be closed and the main entrance will not be accessible. The main driveway and the north H Street parking lot will be accessible, along with the new parking just west of Cedarwood. During the project, the Emergency Room and Outpatient Services will be accessed ONLY from 22nd Street. Some new parking will also be added south of the health center building, and will be accessible from 22nd Street.
“We are working diligently to make sure there is ample parking for patients, customers and staff throughout the project, and when the project is complete,” Kline said. “We apologize for the inconveniences this project will bring. We know the long-term benefits will outweigh the short-term inconveniences.”
During the project:
*Burkley Fitness Center users will continue to enter from the basketball court entrance on the north side of the fitness center. This has been the temporary access because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and will continue to be the temporary access to the fitness center because of the construction project.
*Patients using JCH&L Sports Medicine and Rehab Services will be able to use the Burkley Fitness Center temporary entrance, or may use the Outpatient Services entrance.
*Emergency and Outpatient services patients and customers must use the 22nd Street drive to access services.
*Health center patients, visitors and all others who need to access the health center should use the Emergency and Outpatient entrance.
*Ambulances must use the 22nd Street entrance to access the Emergency Room.
*Gardenside visitors, when permitted, will be directed to which door to use. The main entrance will not be available.
*There will be minor disruption in the west side of Cedarwood’s parking lot during construction of the new parking west of Cedarwood.
Plans for the project are currently being finalized. Plans will be shared during the groundbreaking ceremony. Because the ceremony will be shared on Facebook Live, it will also be available as a video on JCH&L’s Facebook page following the ceremony, said Lana Likens, director of public relations.
