Hospital annexation possibility in play

The board that controls Oconee Memorial Hospital property has asked for more information from the city of Seneca about the possibility of annexation.  Hunter Kome, president of the Oconee Medical Campus, says, “It appears that our water and sewer rates would be significantly lower due to being inside the city limits.  The Board will consider the matter again at its next meeting in November.”  Last night Greg Dietterick, city administrator, was part of an executive session of the board—a private meeting described for the purpose of details involving the project to build a YMCA on hospital grounds.  An effort to annex the hospital property 15 years ago met with controversy and led to a lawsuit.  From Monday’s executive session, Kome says, a memorandum of understanding spells out conditions under which the board would consider transferring land to the Y.  One of those conditions is the YMCA secures financing for the project.  The property involved is 23 acres near the EMS building.  Kome says, “A land transfer would not take place until all of the conditions in the MOU are met.”