I-70 Medical Center backers look to USDA

After spending years on the drawing board, plans to build the I-70 Medical Center in Sweet Springs may get back on track for completion.

"Where we're at right now, we're kind of bringing things to a head," Jack Forbes, president of the I-70 Medical Center board, said, noting he has been working on the project for nearly five years.

"Right now we're at the point where we're trying to get a USDA loan guarantee ... We had some problems with HUD [Department of Housing and Urban Development] and found out that the USDA was getting proactive in supporting rural areas." Forbes cited a recent $500,000 grant to Mid Missouri Energy as an example of USDA's commitment to rural communities.

"It sounds promising, but I'm not going to believe it until I see a name on the dotted line," Forbes said. More than a year ago, financial backing through HUD had looked promising, but didn't pan out.

However, on Thursday the board plans to meet with USDA officials and a host of bankers to discuss a possible guarantee loan, which would guarantee that lenders were paid 90 percent of what they loaned should the project fail.

"What we're trying to do is show the USDA that the community supports us; that it isn't just money, but people too," Forbes said.

And support from the community has been significant. On Sunday, Aug. 29, the Sweet Springs Amigo Club held a benefit dinner for the project that was quite successful. Contributions totaling $2,350 have been given in free will donations, and just over $5,500 have been raised between donations and pledges.

"The weather couldn't have been better," Forbes said for the fund-raiser, extending thanks to the group.

The plans for the medical center, a trauma care facility that could provide emergency treatment, place it north of Interstate 70 in Sweet Springs. Its main function would be to stabilize victims of automobile accidents and other traumas before moving them to hospitals in Kansas City or Columbia. It would also provide full-service outpatient care to those in the Sweet Springs area.

Total estimated cost of the project is about $9 million.

Contact Matt Heger at

marshallfaith@socket.net