Trigg County Hospital could start work on a $7 million surgical wing in the near future, if the Trigg County Fiscal Court gives final approval to an ordinance in January.

At a meeting that spanned about two and a half hours, the Fiscal Court, by a vote of 5 – 2, approved a first reading of an ordinance that would allow the hospital to do just that, with the help of a $7 million U.S. Department of Agriculture loan.

Magistrates Jon Goodwin and Larry Lawrence voted against the ordinance, with Goodwin saying he has some concerns that need to be discussed before the second reading, but added that his vote doesn’t reflect his intentions toward the hospital or the project.

“I do have some major problems with the bid process, and how things went down,” Goodwin said. “I think the money isn’t being handled, you know, in a proper manner from that standpoint. We have to be stewards of the money, we have to handle the money in that respect.”

Goodwin said, as he did at a previous meeting, that the hospital’s stated need for a surgical wing is based only on one feasibility study.

Donnie McCraw was one of the only people in the audience against the project. He was concerned primarily about the cost of the project and the decision not to choose the lowest bidder, and he suggested that a state audit be done of the hospital.

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