Council to consider $11M bond to buy old Woman’s Hospital

The city-parish’s purchase of the old Woman’s Hospital campus is moving a step forward as City Hall prepares an application for an $11 million bond for the buildings and property on the corner of Airline Highway and Goodwood Boulevard. On Wednesday, the Metro Council will introduce a resolution for a bond application, which will be discussed in a public hearing on March 13. William Daniel, chief administrative officer in Mayor Kip Holden’s office, says the bond application is a routine step in the due diligence, 150-day inspection period, but does not mean a purchase of the property is official. “If we’re going to reach our deadline, we have to start now,” Daniel says. The Metro Council on Jan. 9 approved buying the hospital campus for $10 million and converting it into new headquarters for the Baton Rouge Police Department, pending an assessment of whether the property is suitable. That means the city-parish has until June 8 to makes its final decision. The city-parish paid Woman’s Hospital a $100,000 nonrefundable deposit to conduct the inspection. “It’s just a long process,” Daniel says. The council meets at 4 p.m. Wednesday on the third floor of City Hall, 222 St. Louis St. The full agenda is here. —Adam Pearson