10-09-00 Council Meeting Minutes

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REGULAR MEETING OCTOBER 9, 2000 Thank you for your service to our community and for the consideration you may give to this critically important issue for so many people. Cordially, s /(Rev.) Edward A. Malloy, C.S.C. President Mr. Bruce Bancroft, Attorney at Law, Barnes & Thornburg, 6001St Source Bank Center, 100 North Michigan, South Bend, Indiana, representing Memorial Hospital of South Bend, made the presentation for this Resolution. Mr. Bancroft stated that the hospital is requesting a special exception to permit the construction of a helistop on the sixth floor of the Lafayette Parking Garage on Lafayette Street. He stated that should anyone misspeak and call this facility a heliport instead of a helistop, the difference is that a helistop is a facility which permits only the landing and unloading of helicopters and then the helicopter goes back to another place for storage and that is what the hospital is proposing. The aircraft would land on the helistop, unload or load, and then take off and would not be serviced there or housed there and would not stay on the helistop any longer than necessary. Mr. Bancroft presented letters and petitions which contain the signatures of over one thousand (1,000) citizens who support this special exception along with an article that was recently published in the Air Medical Journal as well as a copy of the approval of the helistop by the FAA. Mr. Bancroft asked that the Council grant this Special Exception permitting the hospital to build an helistop on the north end of the sixth floor of the parking garage at Lafayette and Navarre Street. The hospital will build two (2) additional floors on the existing parking structure which would contain one hundred fifty (150) new parking spaces. He stated that as shown on the site plan provided to the Council, that the helistop would be located on the northwest corner of the sixth floor. It will be fifty -two feet (52') above grade and approximately one hundred ten (110) feet from the closest house which is across the street on Lafayette. Mr. Bancroft informed the Council that the petition they are considering has some additional conditions which the hospital is willing to accept if the Council approves this special exception. These conditions are that the helipad may be used only for the transportation of severely ill patients and required support staff and subject to the operation guidelines of the South Bend Emergency Medial Services Committee. Also, that it may be used only in accordance with applicable EMS rules and regulations and that it will be subject to all FAA rules and regulations. They are also willing to add another condition which was suggested by Council Attorney Kathleen Cekanski- Farrand and that is that the hospital comply with the guidelines of the Fly Neighborly Program. Mr. Bancroft stated that on August 11, 2000, after four (4) months of study which was preceded by a two (2) year study by the hospital and approval by all Boards of the hospital, the FAA approved this helistop. He submitted the letter to the Council by which approval was granted. The helistop was approved for safety and the flight paths were approved by the FAA and declared to be safe and proper for use. The State of Indiana accepts the FAA determination on the safety of airports and flight paths and therefore this is automatically approved by the State of Indiana. The helicopter to be used in this service must meet strict FAA guidelines. He noted that time is an extremely important consideration in healthcare particularly in heath care that involves trauma or that involves people with severe illnesses when the time getting to the hospital is important. Surface ambulances simply are not adequate. The hospital has located on its campus a site for this helistop after a great deal of study and this is the only viable site for this helistop. He noted that the South Bend Tribune article in today's newspaper was incomplete and misleading in its treatment of the report that was written by BSA architects in 1999 concerning the helistop. This article was written before the hospital learned that the South Bend Medical Foundation was going to add five (5) floors to its building. This caused the hospital to change the planned site of the helistop from the center of the garage to the north end of the garage and that was not contemplated by Mr. Lee Ambers when he wrote the report. Secondly, the primary conclusion in the report written by Mr. Ambers was that in the event that there are structural limitations with the Centennial Medical Square building, which