City Commission, hospital officials talk hospital transition

MARQUETTE — With Duke LifePoint set to break ground on the new hospital site later this year, officials with the City of Marquette are in the very early process of figuring out what to do with the soon to be old hospital.

The Marquette City Commission held a work session earlier today to discuss re–purposing of the hospital. Duke LifePoint had representatives travel from Tennessee to speak with the commission and members of the community.

Both the city commission and hospital officials are looking for the public’s help to figure out what to do with the site.

“I think the most important thing is what benefits not only the community but also the city,” said Tom Butler Jr., DLP Chief Financial Officer. “This is an historical site here in the City of Marquette and we want to make sure that it’s done in a way that we mutually decide what we’re going to do with the existing campus.”

“It’s transparency,” said Mike Angeli, Marquette City Manager. “We don’t want any surprises, especially with the (city) commission. “This is a complicated process that has many moving parts. To try to keep the commission current and up–to–date on a regular basis I think is necessary to make us successful.”

It’s expected to take 28-30 months to complete construction of the new hospital, which is set to open sometime in the fall of 2018.