EVERETT — Guests came to cheer Saturday morning at the groundbreaking ceremony for the building of a new project at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett’s Colby campus.
Neighbor Steven Sullivan accepted the hospital’s invitation to the party, but he wasn’t cheering.
Sullivan, who has lived in the north Everett neighborhood all his life, said he came to take a look at his house from the top of the recently built hospital garage.
He said he came to embrace change.
“Everything that was familiar to me is gone,” Sullivan said. “That’s what happens when you live in one place for a really long time. It’s change; we have to accept it. “
Sullivan lives just down the street from the construction site. He said he still remembers what the historic residential neighborhood looked like before the hospital was even built.
Like most of the other people in the area, Sullivan doesn’t favor the proposed 12-story, $500 million addition to the hospital. And nostalgia for the old look of the neighborhood is not the only reason.
Sullivan said construction is definitely taking its toll on his comfort.
“The banging starts at 7:15 a.m. I want to take a nap in the afternoon and I can’t. And my house is all dirty from the dust,” he said.
Parking became worse since the new garage was built, Sullivan said. “Employees think our streets are there for them to park. They throw cigarette butts and trash everywhere.”
These are the reasons a lot of the neighbors are angry at the hospital, Sullivan said.
Many people have signs in their yards protesting hospital expansion.
“Bigger isn’t necessarily better,” Sullivan said.
But other people in the neighborhood feel differently.
Charlie Davis said he doesn’t mind the expansion provided that it doesn’t go overboard.
“I’m not opposed to it as long as they keep the neighborhood clean and nice-looking. I don’t want to see this neighborhood turned into an industrial site,” Davis said.
Neighbors concerns are all valid, and it’s very difficult to convince them to change their mind, said Dave Sisson, one of the architects who designed the new tower.
“We want them to see that we are doing as much as we can to benefit their community,” he said.
Hospital employees Raelynn Camell and Nick Rebo said hospital expansion is a good thing that will open many doors and bring the hospital closer to the community.
“We will be able to serve a more diverse group of patients, attract more doctors and provide care for more patients instead of driving them to Seattle,” Camell said.
Reporter Katya Yefimova: 425-339-3452 or kyefimova@heraldnet.com.
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