New Rideout tower fills Marysville skyline

Gary Christensen, a superintendent of construction for the new Rideout Regional Medical Center, looked over his personnel list at the end of a scorching work day.

Thirty-two iron workers, eight carpenters, six deck builders, two rebar workers and 15 other various and sundry laborers and inspectors had put in time Tuesday on the structure that has recently made its presence known on the Marysville skyline.

"Three and a half weeks ago, you wouldn't hardly know we were here," Christensen said of the towering skeleton behind him.

"It's like Christmas," said Linda Plummer, marketing manager at Fremont-Rideout Health Group, of the sudden transformation.

The six-story $225 million medical tower, scheduled to be completed in December 2014, will feature an expanded emergency department, maternity unit and nursery, new acute and critical care rooms and a rooftop heliport for medical helicopters.

"We are very impressed with this. It happened so fast," said nurse director Will Morrell-Stinson, who had been hoping to sign her name on the ceremonial "topping out" girder.

That beam, scheduled to be hoisted atop the steel frame of the building next week, has been made available at the construction site entrance for hospital employees to sign.

"It's amazing just to have watched it (the building's frame) go up," said Morrell-Stinson.

"It's by far the biggest project in Marysville and the neighboring communities," said Nathan Ramirez, the building's project manager.

The hospital expansion broke ground in March, and is on schedule for completion of a first phase — foundation and structure — by the end of fall.

Fremont-Rideout also broke ground last year on an expansion of its cancer center.

Rideout represents the only level III trauma center between Sacramento and Chico. Funding for the construction comes through a $110 million bond issue and from and private donations.

CONTACT Nancy Pasternack at npasternack@appealdemocrat.com or 749-4781. Find her on Facebook at /ADnpasternack or on Twitter at @ADnpasternack.