Competition heats up as CMC medical facility plans announced
By BILL PIECUCH
Special to The Vista
Construction of a 25,454 square foot Medical Arts Building begins September 2012 with and a ceremonial grand opening planned in September of 2013 according to Dr. Barry Wagner, CEO of Cumberland Medical Center.
Wagner outlined plans to over 150 attendees gathered at the Conference Center in Fairfield Glade on Tuesday, July 18. Construction contracts will be awarded in August followed immediately with grading and parking work.
“This is a momentous event for Fairfield Glade and Cumberland Medical Center,” said Wagner.
Announcement of the new Medical Arts building by neighboring Cumberland Medical Center (CMC) in Crossville follows on the heels of the recent grand opening of a medical clinic by Cookeville Regional Regional Medical Center (CRMC) located at 4929 Peavine Road.
According to recent grand opening announcement, the Cookeville sponsored outreach offers primary care services for emergencies and minor illnesses. It will be staffed by a nurse practitioner and visiting specialists.
It also raises the competitive ante by the two hospitals in efforts to attract healthcare clients in Fairfield Glade.
The Crossville facility is expected to be a landmark in delivery of quality, convenient medical services in Fairfield Glade by serving visitors, timeshare and local residents. Plans include space for physician services, a clinical laboratory, durable medical equipment office, digital image mammography and the ability to handle walk-in traffic.
The new Medical Arts Building will be built on 3.071 acres of land off Stonehenge Drive. It will be adjacent to the CMC Wellness Complex on one side and the existing Conference Center on the other side.
Overall parking will double and, according to site plans, easily handle anticipated additional vehicles. A single in-and-out entrance to both the Wellness Center and the Medical Arts facility will remain unchanged.
Talks between Fairfield Glade Community Club Board members and CMC executives began last year. In a meeting held at the Multi-Purpose Conference Center Thursday, March 29, 2012, final approval of engineering plans was reached with Fairfield Glade and the State of Tennessee.
At last Tuesday’s meeting, the engineer for CMC said original architectural plans were successfully ironed out and the project given a green light.
While the presentation consumed about 15 minutes, the question and answer period lasted about 50 minutes. Asked about possible expansion, Wagner said the current geographical location limits major on-site expansion. “However,” he added, “should the need for expansion arise we will seek a larger site.”
Asked about mammography being moved from The Wellness Center into the Medical Arts facility he said newer digital equipment would improve delivery of images.
When questioned further regarding parking topography of the site with a creek and 20-foot drop in terrain behind the building posed limitations. Asked if the additional office space would house only CMC doctors, he smiled and said, “no, not necessarily.”
Bill Piecuch is a resident of Fairfield Glade and a regular contributor to The Vista. He has decades of writing experience and has placed client stories in top business journals such as Forbes, Wall Street Journal and on national television shows such as The Today Show and Good Morning America. He is currently is the owner of a marketing company called A-to-Z Business Services.