VIDALIA — Riverland Medical Center officials appeared before the Concordia Parish Police Jury Monday to discuss plans to build a new hospital facility on U.S. 84.

Last month, the jury requested the hospital board attend Monday’s meeting. Juror Joe Parker said then he wanted to hear from the board’s chairman before deciding whether to abolish the hospital board entirely.

Jurors were apparently upset about the hospital board’s decision allowing board chairman Jim Graves to execute the real estate contract with Dan Renfro for the purchase of 20 acres of property on U.S. 84 near Camelot Leisure Living. The cost would be no more than $27,500 per acre.

Parker said Monday one of his concerns was why the hospital board would spend money to purchase land when the parish owned the property on which the current hospital is located.

Graves and Michael Taylor, a consultant helping the hospital navigate the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Community Facilities Program, explained to the jury that in order to receive a low-interest loan from USDA to fund the new hospital, the facility had to be built on the designated location.

The location for the new $35 million hospital was recommended by Stroudwater Associates, a firm that conducted one of the feasibility studies for the new hospital. The study was publicly discussed with the jury earlier this year.

Taylor said the study essentially found that the hospital had the best chance of long-term success and serving the most residents if it was located on the east side of Ferriday.

If the parish decides to build the hospital at a different location, Graves said, USDA will likely not grant the loan.

Graves assured the police jury that the hospital board will keep the jury informed of the latest RMC developments.

Taylor told the jury the hospital board is in the early stages — the pre-application phase — of obtaining the loan

The hospital board last month approved the issuance of $35 million in hospital revenue bonds for the purpose of building the new critical-access hospital. The bonds will have to be approved by the state bond commission.

“But remember before we can borrow the first quarter, we have to come back here (for approval from the jury),” Graves said.

Juror Jimmy Wilkinson said he looked at the new hospital as a positive for the parish.

“We’re not losing a hospital, we’re gaining a new hospital, and you have property to rent out for income,” he said.

When asked by Parker, Graves said the hospital board recently showed the current hospital property to potential tenants. He declined to name the interested parties, saying any talks of the potential lease of the property were preliminary since the hospital is still in operation at its current location.

District Attorney Brad Burget chimed into the discussions, saying he was concerned that without a new hospital, the parish would lose physicians.

“If we lose them … how are we going to recruit those (physicians) back without a new hospital,” he said.

Graves also said the hospital board is looking at rebranding the hospital and possibly becoming affiliated with a larger hospital system.