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Directors of the Tehachapi Valley Healthcare District asked for public feedback about the status of the proposed new hospital, and they got an earful last week at a special meeting.

While there were plenty of differing opinions, everyone seemed to agree that the time for a decision was now.

“You know we keep avoiding a decision. We got to make a decision,” said Dr. Sam Conklin, president of the board.

CEO Alan Burgess noted that he had written to Aspen asking for a response to the independent architectural report noting a long list of inherent design flaws.

“So far no report has been received. ASAI doesn't seem to want to accept any responsibility for any shortcomings in their plans,” Burgess said.

Dr. Gary Olsen, board member, is just one concerned citizen who wants some answers, and soon.

“If Aspen does not respond to our CEO's messages with in two weeks I will definitely vote to terminate their contract,” Olsen said.

Here is a sampling of some of the comments made during the meeting:

• Dr. Sam Conklin, board president:
“We need an ER service and that's a fact. We can't just have a stand alone ER. You have to have an acute care facility to go along with it. We have four years and six months to get it built. We have a December 2012 deadline.”

• Dr. Gary Olsen, board member: “We need to get out some public information and maybe go through a second bond issue to build a decent Hospital.”

• Dr. Kim Horowitz, board member: “But to go back to the public when we haven't reached the point we thought we might be at four years ago is going to be a hard thing to do. Maybe we should look at a phased approach. This is what we do first, these are critical needs, and here are the plans to do that. Then here's a set of plans that we do next once we have built that,” he said.

• Dr. Susan Hall, board member: “I'm not sure you want to hear what I have to say. I'm extremely upset. I was very excited about the plans just the way they looked when we first started working on this. When I ran for the board I made the naive assumption that the architects knew what they were doing and that they would build a plan that would go through, get approved, we could build it and it would be runable.”

• Tehachapi resident, Shirley Cummings: “I've seen more done in four months with John [Hicks] and his wife than I've seen in the past three, four or five years. I think we need to hire and pay a project manager to get through the operation. We need a project manager to see it through.”

• Tehachapi resident, Leslie Kimball: “I actually thought at one point this could happen and I see as it stands now, status quo, that it's not going to happen.” She said, “You as a board should apologize to the community for the situation we're in. I hear nothing but negative things from the community. It has to be done and you need to tell the community how your going to do it even it its in sections.”

• Former TVHD project manager, John Hicks: “We've been in trouble for a long time. This board inherited the problem.”

• Tehachapi resident, Ted Velguth: “The more you delay the more it's going to cost. You guys are getting exactly what you wanted, delay, delay, delay,”

• Richard Henry, Chairman of the Greater Tehachapi Chamber of Commerce:
“There's to much sniping going on both sides. You guys don't communicate enough.”

The next regular board meeting is scheduled for May 21 at the Golden Hills Community Center, 21415 Reeves St., at 6 p.m. The public is invited to attend.