Construction of the new Remsen Medical Clinic is expected to be finished by Dec. 1. The new clinic, on Second Street west of the post office in Remsen, will be paid for using a variety of city, county, hospital, federal and private loan money. [Click to enlarge]

June rain delays can't stop construction of the new Remsen Medical Clinic.

The clinic on Second Street west of the post office is expected to be completed Dec. 1, said Daryl Friedenbach, director of financial services at Floyd Valley Hospital (FVH).

"The contractor was hoping to have it done by the end of October or the beginning of November," Friedenbach said. "In June we had a lot of rain and didn't get started until the ground had dried up."

That put construction a couple weeks behind schedule, he said, but the contract designates Dec. 12 as the final completion date for the clinic.

Construction crews have already poured flooring in the building, routed the plumbing and electrical through the floors and completed basic structural framing of the walls.

"They believe by the end of August they should have it pretty well closed in," Friedenbach said. "With the exterior walls and the roof on, they can work regardless of the weather."

From a financial standpoint, construction of the Remsen Medical Clinic is also on target.

The FVH Board of Trustees in March approved a $849,000 budget, which included construction, architectural, engineering and equipment, for the clinic.

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"The project itself is on budget," Friedenbach said. "We have various grants, and local support is in place and coming through."

The City of Remsen and Remsen utilities have each pledged $50,000, and Plymouth County has set aside $25,000 in Local Option Sales Tax to help pay for the clinic.

Iowa Rep. Steve King helped secure a $94,352 federal appropriation in the form of a grant from the Department of Health and Human Services. That money will be used for the purchase of radiology equipment for the clinic, Friedenbach said.

"That (grant) has been approved and the funds will probably be released later this summer or fall," he said.

The majority of the cost for the new Remsen Medical Clinic will be paid with a $360,000, six-year, zero-percent interest rate loan through the North West Rural Electric Cooperative.

Repayment will include quarterly payments of $18,000 for the next five years as none is required the first year, Friedenbach said.

FVH trustees approved the loan agreement at their monthly meeting Tuesday and gave authorization to continue moving forward with obtaining the loan.

Remaining costs will come from FVH reserves.

Medical Associates will be staffing the new clinic without increasing its numbers at this time, Friedenbach said.

"In the beginning we're looking to staff it at the same levels we're currently staffing the Remsen Clinic," he said. "If the volume grows to support it, we will look at increasing staff."

Friedenbach said he doesn't see any problems meeting the construction deadline, and hopes to be moving in equipment by the end of November.

"We're looking for it to be ready and in operation in early December," he said.