Central Peninsula Hospital is ready to invest in a 40-acre parcel that includes a 5,000-square foot building in the Kalifornsky Beach area and turn it into a new home for its Serenity House alcohol and chemical dependency treatment program.
Tuesday, the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly will consider introduction of Ordinance 2007-19-45, which would authorize acquisition of the property at the end of Kristina Way, which is across from Murwood on K-Beach, and appropriate $571,750 toward completion of the project. Linda and Brad Hibbard own the property.
Currently, the six-bed capacity Serenity House is in a facility off K-Beach along the Cook Inlet bluff. It operates without a long-term lease, and hospital officials have said it would need expensive remodeling just to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act.
The CPGH Inc. board believes an expanded facility would increase revenues and reduce operating losses. The new facility would accommodate 10 to 12 beds at a cost far less than new construction.
The ordinance will authorize borough Mayor John Williams to purchase the property for $645,000 and pay up to $1,500 in closing costs. The rest of the $973,500 set aside for the project would go into remodeling.
About $401,750 already has been appropriated to the project from the hospital's Plant Expansion and Replacement Fund.
Making up the $571,750 in the ordinance will be a $486,750 grant from the Denali Commission, $35,000 more from the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, $25,000 from the Central Peninsula Health Foundation and another $25,000 more from the plant expansion fund.
Assuming the assembly votes to introduce the measure today, a public hearing would be scheduled for the meeting on May 20.
Hal Spence can be reached at hspence@ptialaska.net.
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