Baton Rouge - LSU Health Science Center's plan to transform part of Mid-city into a bio-medical corridor may have hit a snag Tuesday.
The state's Streamlining Government Commission voted to hire an independent consultant to study whether the 70 acre, billion dollar project makes sense.
People who want the existing Charity Hospital building renovated rather than rebuilt consider this a victory.
The recommendations that come out of the study will go to the governor and legislature during next April's regular session.
People on both sides of the debate fought hard during a hearing in Baton Rouge.
"We're confident the proposed concept to gut and rebuild the existing building is far less expensive that starting from scratch," said architect Stephen McDaniel.
"The bottom line is gutting Charity and building within the foot print, of the exterior walls of Charity will not meet the program requirements for this project," countered Jerry Jones, head of the state's Facility Planning Department.
LSU and Governor Jindal's office say a brand-new $1.2 billion proposed mid-city hospital complex will bolster the metro area's standing in the medical industry.
"We're looking at what is the best use of money to achieve the end point and that is to achieve a competitive academic medical center," said LSUHS Dr. Fred Cerise.
Several consultants hired by LSUHS and the state concluded that Charity needs to be replaced.
State Treasurer John Kennedy says the firms, which according to FEMA have pre-existing relationships with the state, are not unbiased.
"There have been a lot of studies, but there hasn't been an independent one and we've been dithering and talking and debating for four years. Meanwhile the people of New Orleans and the New Orleans Metro Area have had to do without health care because of the politics of this state," said Kennedy.
Kennedy and others on the commission wonder how long it will take the new bio-medical corridor to pay for itself.
"I can't quite figure out what the impact would be to the state budget with this facility and that is what would keep me awake at night," said State Sen. Jack Donahue, R-Mandeville.
The commission voted seven to three in favor of doing a new independent study.
