Baxter Medical Clinic In Need Of Repairs

The Baxter Medical Clinic is looking for help from the city to help fix maintenance issues.

Alderman Jeff Herald said the current lease agreement between the city and the medical clinic was modified under former mayor Jeff Wilhite. The update requires the clinic to perform all necessary maintenance themselves.

“We had in there that all necessary repairs would be done by you all. It says except for mechanical systems, like the air conditioner, and the roof,” Herald said. “We had it where we would be responsible for that, but the previous mayor marked through it and signed it when he crossed it out.”

Clinic Director Rick Bouchard addressed the issues during Thursday’s meeting, noting a faulty HVAC unit, leaky roofs, and broken windows are needing repaired.

Mayor John Martin said the current formatting of the lease prevents the city from being able to address the issues at this time.

“I think it was a few years ago, this same thing was brought up… and I told them then, from the way the lease is, it’s the responsibility of the clinic to take care of that,” Martin said. “That’s the way it was set up and Jeff is the one that exed it out and initialed it, and took the city out of all of it.”

However, Martin said after the meeting that the Board will look into ways they can address the current situation at the facility.

“We’re just not saying no at this time, but the medical clinic is really an old building,” Martin said. “We give them the building for $1 a year, and it’s been that way for a long time. I understand there’s needs there, but it’s hard for the city to continue pouring money into a building that’s 70 years old.”

Martin said he would meet with Bouchard at some point to see what their options are for the medical clinic.