Rockingham hospital to move, sell 15 acres

JMU among potential buyers; too early to tell if future needs require extra land

Rockingham Memorial Hospital released plans Tuesday to build a new hospital on a site not yet named. JMU currently has no plans to purchase the site.

"We want to move in order to continue to provide a high level of care to the community," said Debra Thompson, associate director of public relations and communications for RMH. "We are running out of room, and we’ve about outgrown our space on 15 acres. We need to spread out and expand."

RMH currently is looking at options for disposition, according to Thompson. Fred Hilton, JMU director of Media Relations, said it is too soon to tell if the university will purchase the land. "Any time a property comes on the market, the board of directors wants the administration to look at the feasibility of purchasing the property," Hilton said. "It is impossible to anticipate the needs of the university that far down the road, so the option [of purchasing RMH] has not been discussed or considered."

If the university were to purchase the property, the money could come from several places. "[The source of funds] would depend on a lot of things — some land we’ve purchased with money from the state, some from money the university raises and some from private funding," Hilton said. "Money for academic buildings usually comes from the state."

It still is too early for the university to tell if they will need the land in the future. "[The property] is highly desirable, but there is a lot that goes into deciding the need for the land," said Al Menard, assistant vice president of university planning and analysis.

"Need is based on students … there is a lot that must be considered."

Ground breaking at the new site is planned for two years, and construction should take three years.

"We have several properties under consideration, not far from the city site, that will allow us to provide the greatest benefit to the community," Thompson said.