HALFMOON, N.Y. – The stretch of Route 146 is Halfmoon's medical field of dreams. But for Boni Development, the people have already come to Southern Saratoga County, so it's time to build it.
"Our population pushing over 100,000 with no immediate hospital within 15 or 20 miles. It seemed
like the right thing to do at this point," said Kevin Dailey, Boni Enterprises attorney.
While the 2006 Berger Commission consolidated care in Schenectady County, in Saratoga, Washington and Warren counties, it needed 500 new beds.
People at a planning board meeting got a peak at plans for the $50 million medical campus. Dailey of the group says the proposed hospital is five-stories tall and says the 120-bed facility will have a 24-hour emergency room.
It's one of the fastest growing communities in New York State and as Curtis Schick reports, a new development could be just what the doctor ordered.
Dailey says the campus will also include other buildings for bio-medical research. But first the group needs a zoning change that gets the proposal closer to a green light.
“I think all of Southern Saratoga County would benefit from this, but it must be done in a well thought out planned manner so it is successful,” said Mindy Wormouth, Halfmoon Town Supervisor.
But, is it too tall? Fire responders say with their current equipment they can't fight a fire at the top of building that high.
“They are talking about a five-story building, and at this point, our ladder truck will not reach five,” said John Cuttita, of the Clifton Park Fire District.
Still, both sides say they should be able to find a compromise.
Dailey says if everything goes smoothly, it should be up and running in a little as two years.