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<< Previous   of   Next >> Kevin Nortz / The Herald  (click to enlarge) The first of two yellow cranes went up this week above Providence Regional Medical Center Everett's Colby Campus, as seen from Everett's Northwest neighborhood on Thursday. Steel will soon rise as a new medical tower is built. Courtesy of Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects LLP  (click to enlarge)   ADVERTISEMENT   New tower Providence Regional Medical Center Everett is poised to begin erecting the steel frame for a hospital tower in north Everett. The steel work is scheduled to begin on May 18 and continue for roughly five months. Height: 175 feet Stories: 12 (10 above ground) Cost: $400 million Steel: 14.5 million pounds Concrete: 94 million pounds Copper pipe: 27 miles Steel pipe: 16.5 miles Contractor: M. A. Mortenson Architect: Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects, LLP Sources: Providence Regional Medical Center Everett   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Monday, April 27, 2009 Providence Everett Medical Center moves ahead on tower Cranes are in place at site of new tower at Providence's Colby Campus By David Chircop Herald Writer EVERETT -- A toddler in a stroller raised his arm and pointed at a pair of towering yellow construction cranes swinging above the sidewalk. On another street, MaryVee Westlund cocked her head, taking in the bustling scene of men and big machines. During the next six months, the steel skeleton of a 175-foot-tall hospital tower will slowly rise from a hole in the ground a half-block from her north Everett home. "I think it's wonderful," said Westlund, adding that she is comforted by the thought of having an up-to-date hospital so close to home. Providence Everett Medical Center is moving ahead on a $400 million, 680,000-square-foot clinical tower that is scheduled to open in mid-2011. Cranes were erected this week, and steel is expected to go up starting May 18 -- and continue rising for about five months. Once completed, it will be the tallest building in Everett, with the exception of a control tower at Paine Field. The new building is the source of both controversy and civic pride. For years, some neighbors have fought the hospital's expansion, saying it is built on a scale that is out of proportion and character with the residential neighborhood surrounding it. The new tower will cast long shadows in the winter and summer and it is expected to bring more traffic. At the same time, hospital officials say the cutting-edge building will help attract fiercely sought-after medical professionals and improve the quality of health care in the community. When it opens, the building will have 368 beds and an emergency room nearly as long as a football field, with space to treat as many as 79 patients at a time. The hospital's current emergency room, which treated 106,606 patients last year, is bursting at the seams with about half the space it needs, hospital officials say. "Everybody clearly understands the need is now," said Dave Brooks, the hospital's chief executive. "Frankly, the need has been there for the last five years. We're just getting caught up with it now." Miles Hopkins, 25, was born at Providence and grew up down the street from the hospital. He now rents his childhood home from his parents, who moved away, in part because of the hospital's expansion, he said. Hopkins' front porch now looks out to a landscaped corridor and a new 1,000-stall parking garage where a row of historic homes previously stood. A sign protesting the hospital's long-range expansion plan is planted in his front yard, although Hopkins said he is indifferent to the project. "I'm not taking it down," he said. "A lot of neighbors paid money to take this to court." The hospital hopes to build a second tower, and that's also being opposed by neighbors. A lawsuit was dismissed in Snohomish County Superior Court earlier this month. Neighbors have a separate challenge before the Growth Management Hearings Board. In the meantime, some are seeing the current tower under construction as a silver lining in an economy with plenty of dark clouds. When construction picks up, as many as 500 people will be working on the building at the same time, the hospital's contractor estimates. "We're fortunate to be in a place where we can look out our windows and see cranes," Everett spokeswoman Kate Reardon said. Reporter David Chircop: 425-3393429, dchricop@heraldnet.com. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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