Huntley board to review final plans for hospital Thursday
The Huntley village board is expected to review final plans Thursday night for Centegra Health System’s proposed $233 million hospital.
The 360,000-square-foot facility would house 128 beds, a women’s center and an emergency department at the northeast corner of Algonquin and Haligus roads, near Reed Road. Centegra operates an outpatient health center and a fitness center there.
The hospital plans have been reviewed by the village plan commission and zoning board and received favorable recommendations, Centegra spokeswoman Kim Kubiak said.
Last month a Will County judge upheld a state panel’s decision to let Centegra build the hospital, ending a lawsuit filed by a pair of Centegra rivals nearly a year ago attempting to block the construction.
Mercy Health System and Advocate Health Care filed a joint lawsuit against the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board, the body that oversees hospital constructions. The health facilities board in July 2012 approved the proposed Centegra Hospital-Huntley, overruling an earlier decision by staff members. Commissioners thought there was a growing need for health services in the area around Huntley and that a new hospital would not duplicate services provided by existing facilities, according to court documents.
Centegra expects to break ground on the project in the spring, said Lisa Armour, Huntley assistant village manager.
Centegra has agreed to add two access points to the future hospital, one on Reed Road and another just off Algonquin Road for emergency vehicles, bringing the number of access points to four. Centegra also agreed to install a traffic signal at Faith’s Way, the hospital’s future main entrance.
The proposed access points on Reed and Haligus roads are under village jurisdiction. The second access point on Haligus, about 1100 feet north of the main entrance, and the Reed Road access will each have one inbound and two outbound lanes.
Centegra needs approval from the McHenry County Department of Transportation for the proposed access point on the southeast corner of the hospital campus off Algonquin Road, Armour said.
Plans also call for improvements to Haligus Road where a northbound right turn lane will be added at Faith’s Way to get into the hospital campus, she added.
The intersection of Algonquin and Haligus roads also will be improved with a southbound and northbound right turn lane on Haligus, pending approval from McHenry County transportation officials.
The Huntley location would be the fourth hospital for Centegra, McHenry County’s largest employer. The new hospital is expected to employ more than 1,000 people.
The hospital is planned to open in August 2016.