A sign at the entrance to Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria, Ore., Aug 10, 2024. Expansion work on the hospital is proceeding despite the loss of a federal grant that would have covered disaster resilience features such as a deep pile foundation and a vertical tsunami evacuation staircase.
Anna Lueck / OPB
Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria is currently undergoing a $300 million expansion. The new facility will include a more secure foundation, a vertical tsunami evacuation staircase and other features meant to make it more resilient during a potential earthquake.
That work was supposed to be covered by a $20 million grant from the federal Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program. But the Trump administration cancelled the program this spring, leaving projects across the country and state stranded.
Work on the hospital is proceeding despite the loss of federal funding. Columbia Memorial CEO Erik Thorsen joins us to talk about where the project stands.
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