Brookwood Health Services will hold ground-breaking in mid-April
Brookwood Health Services will hold a ground-breaking in mid-April at the site of planned free-standing emergency department (FED) to be built near U.S. 280 and Alabama 119, Hoover Mayor Gary Ivey said.
It will be Hoover’s second, joining a 24,342-square-foot free-standing emergency department that UAB Medical West is set to open in mid-May near Alabama 150 and Interstate 459.
“We’re so excited about that facility as well as the ER that UAB is building on Alabama 150 near Target,” the mayor said. “For us to have Alabama’s only free-standing ER departments in Hoover is great for our residents.”
The Hoover city council in January 2015 approved $900,000 in incentives to help Brookwood offset the costs of the project. Council President Jack Wright, in an April 2 interview, said the medical facility will fill a need for Hoover residents needing emergency medical services but desiring to avoid traffic congestion on the busy U.S. 280 corridor.
“It’s about saving lives,” Wright said. “How’d you like to be stuck in traffic on 280? When you’re having a heart attack or a stroke, every minute counts.”
Brookwood plans to invest $19.5 million to build the free-standing emergency department on U.S. 280 near the Greystone community. UAB Medical West spent about $13.5 million to build its FED at Alabama 150 and I-459. Ivey said that facility is on track for a mid-May opening.
Though the Brookwood official ground-breaking is in mid-April, construction is already underway at the site. Calls to Brookwood officials were not returned prior to publication.
In a wide-ranging interview, Ivey also shared his thoughts on other several other topics:
2015 Hoover Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast
Dr. Larry Lemak, founder of Lemak Sports Medicine & Orthopedics, will be keynote speaker at the 33rd annual event, to be held at 7:30 a.m. at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham-The Wynfrey Hotel. Ivey said Lemak, a personal friend for years, continues a tradition of well-known speakers at the breakfast, organized by the Hoover Beautification Board.
Tickets are available at hooveralabama.gov for $25 a person or $250 for a table of 10.
“This event is designed to showcase Hoover and educate people about the great things going on in our city,” Ivey said.
The Hoover Board of Education’s search for a new superintendent and the council’s upcoming appointment for a school board opening
The mayor said the selection of a new superintendent and a replacement for Board President Donna Frazier as she steps down June 1 is critical as the top-quality education students receive in Hoover public schools is one of the reasons why the city has gotten national recognition as one of the best places to live in the U.S.
The Alabama Association of School Boards, which is conducting the superintendent search, is set to present the five finalists to the Hoover board of education for interviews at Spain Park High School on April 14. The Hoover City Council will interview 15 candidates for the Hoover school board opening on Monday, April 6.
“I trust them to make the right decisions in both the superintendent and school board opening,” Ivey said. “We all know the importance of having good leadership at the top.”
Impact of University of Alabama and SEC baseball tournament games at the Hoover Met
Ivey said Hoover businesses have reaped major economic dividends from having the University of Alabama baseball team play its home games at the Hoover Met stadium while its new UA campus stadium is under construction. Having thousands of Crimson Tide fans filling up hotels, restaurants and retail centers has pumped lots of dollars into Hoover, he said.
“We’ve had some really good games,” Ivey said. “We’re also honored to continue our tradition as host of the SEC Baseball Tournament. It’s been great exposure for the Hoover Met and for the city.”