By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
Now the holidays are over, it is time to advertize for
bids for the old hospital.
In December, Juab County Commissioners determined they
would delay a decision to sell the building by the first of
the year because of the Christmas holidays.
"I need to ask two things before proceeding," said
Mike Seely, county administrator. "What closing date do you
want to select and how much do you want to spend on
advertizing?"
It was decided that commissioners will advertize the
building for sale for two weeks and will call for bids to be
due on Feb.2 just prior to commission meeting.
Seely reminded commissioners that the cost of running
a display ad and a legal ad in the state newspapers was
expensive and would cost $470 per day.
Seely had also obtained the cost of running the
display ad and a legal notice in the Times News for two
weeks as he had been instructed earlier. By comparison, the
cost was negligible and commissioners determined that they
would definitely use that source of advertizing for two
weeks.
"I would like you to talk to Allen Gibson and find out
what it would cost to place an ad in several of the (members
of the Utah Press Association) newspapers," said Neil Cook,
commissioner.
He said he had placed such an ad, a small classified
ad, through the Times-News which had been printed in several
newspapers south of Juab County for less than one day of
advertizing cost in a state newspaper.
Cook also favored placing an ad in the regional
newspaper, the Daily Herald, but Seely said the cost and the
trouble of placing an ad there may not be as prudent.
Seely said, it had been his experience that a lot of
the decision of determining which newspapers to advertize in
was more like fishing than science.
"On some of our larger-price items we played with
larger papers like the Los Angeles Times," said Seely. "It
is like fishing with lots of money. It was unclear how
effective it was."
Placing an ad with the two state newspapers--the
Tribune and the Deseret Morning News--would be done through
the Newspaper Corporation and once the ad was formulated, it
would run in both papers on the same days.
"You (commissioners) did discuss the days which would
be most effective for placing the ad in the larger
newspapers," said Pat Ingram, county clerk-auditor.
Seely, who prior to coming to Juab County worked for
the state office dealing with state surplus equipment, said
that while there he had learned there were some days which
were more effective for advertizing than others.
It had been found that advertizing on heavy use days,
such as Sunday and Thursday (when the shopping ads come out)
did get the ad out to more who might be interested.
Shirl Nichols, county assessor, asked commissioners if
they had thought about selling the old hospital as a sort of
raffle item. It could be noticed that a certain sum of money
would need to be collected before the property would be
awarded but it would be one way of assuring that the
facility would be sold.
"I don't like your idea," said Wm. Boyd Howarth,
commission chair.
The old hospital was opened for business on March 1,
1952 as an 18 bed unit with an x-ray division, surgical
division, a kitchen, office and receiving room.
Juab County acted as the official body representing
the citizens of the area in construction of the
facility.
In February 1974, a new laboratory and x-ray room were
added to the facility.
Later a clinic was added to the hospital which was
used by doctors who were affiliated with the hospital. That
area was out-grown and a new clinic was constructed.
In the early 1980s, a non-profit hospital board began
leasing the building and running the facility. However, when
the new hospital was built, the facility was no longer
needed and the lease was broken with the hospital property
reverting to the county.
Now is the time, so that commissioners can keep up
with the desire they had to sell the building in the early
part of the new year, to call for bids on the old
property.
Bids can be entered including the old clinic, which is
now a Head Start Pre-school and must remain so, or excluding
it at the buyer's choice. Commissioners called for the bids
to be submitted both ways.
"The bids could be due at my office prior to
commission meeting," said Ingram. "They would need to be in
the office before the beginning of commission meeting at 3
p.m. on Feb. 2."
Seely recommended the bids be opened at commission
meeting as an agenda item.
"People like to come and watch as the bids are
opened," he said.
|
