Summary
- Construction contracts for the MetroHealth Glick Center were closed out.
- The initial projected cost of Apex, the new outpatient center, was $140 million; it is now at $168.2 million.
- Apex is scheduled to open to the public on April 20, 2026.
Follow-Up Questions
- Once Apex opens, how will patient parking change?
- Has there been any update on the 12-acre park along West 25th Street?
- Which buildings will be demolished and when as part of the construction plans discussed in this meeting?
Scene at Aug. 13 MetroHealth Facilities & Planning Committee meeting
Dr. E. Harry Walker, chair of the MetroHealth System Board of Trustees, called the meeting to order at 12 p.m. and requested a motion to approve the April meeting minutes, which passed unanimously.
The meeting was conducted in a hybrid format, with most participants joining via Zoom and others gathered in the MetroHealth Board Room. While not all attendees could be identified, those present included:
Committee members:
Walker
Artis Arnold (Huntington Bank, director of Commercial Real Estate)
Michael Summers (former mayor, City of Lakewood)
John Moss (VP of Wealth Management, UBS)
Sharon Dumas (former Finance Director, City of Cleveland)
Ronald Dziedzicki (former COO of UH-Cleveland Medical Center)
Other attendees:
Dr. Christine Alexander (MH President and CEO)
Peter Benkowski (MH Chief Strategy Officer)
Jim Bicak (MH VP of Facilities, Construction & Campus Transformation)
Karen Dethloff (MH VP of System Facilities Operations & Management)
Dave Fiser (MH CIO)
Eileen Hayes (MH VP of Facilities Transition & Operational Integration)
Brian Rentschler (MH VP of Hospital Operations)
Stephanie Tantillo (RSM US LLP, Risk Consulting)
Patrick Woods (MH Director of Accounting and Financial Reporting)
Greg Zucca (MH Director of Community Transformation & Real Estate Holdings)
Join the movement for transparency
Civic power can start with you! We train and pay Documenters to take notes at local government meetings and share them here. Learn more about becoming a Documenter.
MetroHealth W. 25th Street campus transformation project
Jim Bicak and Stephanie Tantillo provided updates on facilities management for the campus transformation projects, beginning with the Apex Outpatient Care Facility, which is currently under construction, followed by the now-completed Glick Center.
For the Apex project, $168.2 million in invoices have been reviewed, with $1 million recovered by MetroHealth to date, Tantillo said. An interim review for 2025 costs is underway. Monthly monitoring of invoices, including resolving errors before payment, resulted in identifying and crediting $1 million in inappropriate subcontractor billings.
For the Glick Center, $590.5 million in invoices were reviewed, with $980,000 recovered to date. Construction closeout has been completed, and contractor billings were found to be fully compliant with the construction contract. “Everything was by the book,” said Tantillo.
Ronald Dziedzicki asked, “Before change orders, what was the cost per square foot and then what was the actual approved cost per square foot with the change orders? Did it hit that benchmark at the end when you do the final payout of all expenses?”
Bicak responded that the cost per square foot is currently near $540, up from the original estimate in the $400s.
The committee then received an update on construction progress for the Apex Outpatient Health Center. Work is advancing, with approximately 150 construction workers on site daily, Bicak said. Exterior milestones include completion of the loading dock ramp, installation of signage, and framing of the connector to the parking garage, which will be fully enclosed.
Michael Summers asked if tariffs have had any impact. Bicak replied that they have not and added that there have been no labor disruptions.
Eileen Hayes then reviewed the Apex project timeline. Construction is expected to be completed by Feb. 13, 2026, with a targeted opening date of April 20, 2026. Equipment procurement is complete, and $3.5 million in furniture contracts have been executed. Artwork procurement, interior signage, and wayfinding are in progress. “We’ll need to redirect everybody to the new location once they arrive on campus,” Hayes said.
Hayes noted that patient registration will be centralized in the new building, with self-check-in kiosks available throughout Apex. Another operational change will be shifting staff and providers from assigned exam rooms to a “next-available” model using Epic Clinic Map. This system will first be piloted at the Internal Medicine Clinic on the Parma campus.
Dziedzicki inquired about emergency preparedness, specifically in the event of an active shooter, and recommended pre-planning safe zones and evacuation routes.
MetroHealth emergency department renovation
The West 25th Street emergency department project will include updated aesthetics, a reconfigured waiting and triage area, relocation of behavioral health, and a remodeled central work area. Construction for the work area will occur in six phases to ensure the department remains operational. Relocating behavioral health is designed to free up acute care space and increase ED capacity.
The project is currently in the design phase, with funding details still to be finalized, Hayes said. Once funded, construction is expected to take nine to 12 months.
A look ahead
Over the next three months, MetroHealth will work with traffic and parking consultants to develop strategies for maximizing efficiency and ease of use once Apex opens, Bicak said. Relocation planning will continue for departments remaining on the main campus, and some buildings will be “isolated” for demolition by disconnecting utilities and services.
MetroHealth facilities management
Karen Dethloff provided an update on current facility management capital projects, including:
- Completion of two boiler replacements in the powerhouse
- Ongoing building automation system upgrades totaling $3.5 million
- Routine repair and replacement of aging or failed infrastructure
She also reviewed ongoing cost-saving measures, ranging from “daylight harvesting” (using daylight rather than lights in garages and other parts of buildings) to competitive bidding for utility rates. MetroHealth budgets approximately $15 million annually for utilities. By switching from Cleveland Electric Illuminating to another electric supplier, the system expects to save $2.1 million this year.
Dethloff also shared that MetroHealth is going to be awarded the 2025 Energy Cup for Large Hospitals by the Ohio Hospital Association for 14% utilities savings between 2023 and 2024.
For the campus buildings that have been vacated, the following measures have been put into place:
- Disconnected circuits to prevent unauthorized light usage.
- Water has been disconnected where possible
- Thermostats set to 75°F in the summer and 65°F in the winter to avoid condensation
- Replaced high-grade air filters with residential-grade filters for cost savings
- Repaired leaks in pneumatic control systems
MetroHealth meeting adjournment
At 1:08 p.m., Walker motioned to enter executive session, and the public was asked to step out. After about 40 minutes in executive session, the committee briefly returned to public session before adjourning.
These notes are by Documenter Ronaldo Rodriguez Jr.
If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at documenters@signalcleveland.org with “Correction Request” in the subject line.