Hospital nearing agreement with optometrists

Officials of Winneshiek Medical Center and of Meehan & Schwartz Family Eye Care Center have reached an agreement "in principle" on a plan to rent hospital property for a new eye care clinic.

The eye care clinic has leased a building on the hospital campus since 1996.  But Meehan and Schwartz Family Eye Care has outgrown the current building on the hospital grounds.

Meehan and Schwartz sought permission from Winneshiek County supervisors to build a new facility on county-owned property, but got turned down on a 4-1 vote.

Since then Meehan and Schwartz has been talking with hospital officials about property owned by WMC.  Hospital official Dan Werner says the new eye care clinic would fit on that piece of property and the hospital would be interested in leasing the land to Meehan and Schwartz.

At this point all that remains is for the architects and engineers to complete their work and for a lease document to be drawn up.