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Material delays slowing construction of mental health facility

Skagit Valley Herald - 8/4/2021

Aug. 4—Limited availability of some building materials is slowing the completion of a new county-owned mental health treatment facility in Sedro-Woolley.

The majority of the construction will be completed by Aug. 16 as planned, but delays on specific materials will mean at least a couple more months before the facility is finished, said county facilities manager Ken Hansen.

At this point, the center likely won't be operational before January, he said.

"(Contractor) Faber Construction has said they've never seen anything like this before," Hansen said.

He said a construction boom during the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a monthslong delay on such items as windows, an alarm panel and materials for shower installation.

"(Faber) has been sticking to schedule," Hansen said. "Now it's beyond their control."

The 16-bed evaluation and treatment center will provide acute, short-term mental health care, offering stabilization and connections to longer-term treatment.

The project represents a first step in replacing the 141-bed long-term inpatient facility on the grounds of the former Northern State Hospital with several smaller facilities embedded in the community. The closure of the 141-bed facility is scheduled for 2023.

The Skagit County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing at 3:30 p.m. Monday to gather input on leasing the facility to a mental health services provider.

The meeting will be held at 1805 Continental Place, Mount Vernon, and will be livestreamed at skagitcounty.net/skagit21.

— Reporter Brandon Stone: bstone@skagitpublishing.com, 360-416-2112, Twitter: @Brandon_SVH

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(c)2021 the Skagit Valley Herald (Mount Vernon, Wash.)

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