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Huron Expositor, 2007-03-14, Page 6Page 6 March 14, 2007 • The Huron Expositor News Seili wants ribbon -cutting in three months From Page 1 Last Tuesday afternoon's meeting was called by Williams "to chat about where things are and where things are going." He said space is available both at the clinic and at the hospital for the "immediate space needs for the team." "It's important that we move on that quickly because there are a lot of FHTs moving out there and hiring staff," said Williams. Deputy -Mayor Bernie MacLellan, who has been negotiating for a facili- ty for the FHT on behalf of the town and the Seaforth Community Development Trust, said the issue is whether or not the hospital trust will lease the building to the municipality. "That way, we would take over the management and assume the finan- cial responsibility that went along with it," he said. He reiterated that a verbal agree- ment had been reached with the hos- pital trust but the document was not signed by the deadline. Williams said the document "spoke to a purchase," something the hospi- tal trust cannot authorize. But, he added that the hospital trust is already involved in many leasing agreements with the current tenants of the building. MacLellan said a 99 -year lease would work in the same way as own- ership to the municipality. He then asked if the hospital trust would agree to a leasing agreement but Williams answered that there are many steps that need to be taken before that question can be answered. He said the hospital trust has never been given specific information about the space needs of the FHT and that meetings need to take place with the FHT board to discuss those details. Hospital trust chair Dick Burgess told MacLellan that his memory is different from MacLellan's. "I'm not about to specify, but in my opinion, we did not have a verbal agreement," he said. "I'm not prepared today to make a commitment for a 99 -year lease. I need to see specifically how your pro- posal serves the objects of the trust which are to serve the hospital," he said. Seili said negotiations have been going on for six months. "That has already been tried and the door was closed to the FHT board. There was road block after road block and now we're (the muncipality and the development trust) are trying to negotiate with the hospital trust. "We can't negotiate if we're just going to play on words. I'm not taking any more time. We've been playing cat and mouse for too long," he said. Seili said the FHT board hasn't been able to tell its architect if it's building a new building or adding onto the clinic because the architect was refused entry to the clinic. Seili said the municipality put $100,000 of its property taxes towards proposed renovations to the clinic but hasn't received confirma- tion the money went where it was supposed to. "We stepped up to the plate but when we asked where it was spent, we didn't get that," he said. Luke Janmaat, a member of the development trust, said donors to the hospital foundation aren't given the Excavating Inc. Derrick VanDriel 519-440-8296 Simon VanDriel 519-482-3783 If fir 1':n I..0 Grad tIs tor... Excrvatora, Bobcats, Dozers, Trucking, eta BLUEWATER INTERIORS INC. Sale & Installation • Tarkett Vinyl Flooring • Laminate Flooring • Hardwood Flooring • Ceramic Tile • Carpets • Area Rugs Check out our new line in flooring KARDEAN FLOORING — FREE ESTIMATES 53 Main St S., Seaforth YOUR RENOVATION AND HOME SPECIALISTS!" \ Compc „tom o."a"r (5I9) 527 1728 F 519-527-2270 right to see where those funds are going. "The issue at stake is the develop- ment of the community relative to the health centre," he said. MacLellan said the municipality knows it can save the clinic at least $20,000 a year in tax exemptions and insurance savings if it is run by the town. "All that money is coming from the community whether it's for a telethon, for bricks and mortar or wages. It's still coming from the com- munity and if we can save them money, it's our responsibility to do so," he said. Williams responded that rumours around town that the hospital foun- dation funds are going towards .run- ning the clinic are false. "We're not taking money from tar- getted campaigns like PACS and giv- ing it to the clinic. My big worry is that confidence is being eroded and we can't afford to have that happen," he said. 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Development trust member Jim Sills asked how the clinic pays for its deficit if the town and the development trust are no' longer giv- ing the hospital trust money. Williams responded that having a clinic full of doctors is the key to financial success at the clinic but that ultimate- ly it would have to scale back services. MacLellan said that from what he's seen the clinic will never be able to cover its own costs. "Is the interest of the trust to the future growth of healthcare in the community or just the objects of the trust?" asked Janmaat. Williams said every- one has the same goal of a strong and viable FHT. "It can go the way it was written in the paper last week or we can sit down again," he said. Members of the FHT board, the hospital trust and Alliance administration then went into a closed meet- ing but an agreement was not reached.