It’s official.
The former Price Chopper building on south Main will be developed for a new site of the Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas in Fort Scott.
CHC currently leases the former Mercy Hospital building at 401 Woodland Hills Blvd.
“The sale has been finalized including an outparcel that was once being held for another development that didn’t materialize,” Krista Postai, CEO of CHC said. “So the entire building and parking lot is ours to develop.”
CHC paid $3,625,000 for the former grocery store that sits on the main thoroughfare of Fort Scott.
CHC Closing On Price Chopper Building April 9
“The outparcel was immediately off US 69, near the sign,” Postai said. “A very large chunk of the current parking lot.”
The future site is in a high-traffic area of Fort Scott, on U.S. Hwy. 69, with an address of 2322 S. Main Street.
The medical center will be making a large investment in the community.
“We estimate that when it’s all complete, we’ll have a $7 to $8 million investment including renovation and diagnostic equipment,” Postai said.
The project will be completed in less than two years, with the expiration of CHC’s current lease with Mercy ending in December 2022.
“We have less than two years to get it done so we’re jumping into the design phase,” Postai said.
CHC will be combining the clinic, walk-in care clinic and the pharmacy into the new development at 2322 S. Main.
“We did invite Via Christi Ascension to join us in this project but they indicated – very graciously – that they would need more time and were opting to remain in the existing Emergency Room in the Mercy Hospital Building (at 401 Woodland Hills Blvd.) which is still owned by the Mercy Health System.:
“As they requested, we will be donating back the land and helipad Mercy gave us behind the hospital for new construction now that we have the Price Chopper Building finalized,” she said.
The former Price Chopper tenant was there for two years.
Allergy Clinic Coming
Also new on the horizon is a regional allergy clinic CHC will be starting this summer, she said.
“We thought Ft. Scott would be a good location for access from throughout our north and south service area,” Postai said.