LINCOLN - There are still many decisions to be made about the future of the current Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital property once a new facility is built on Lincoln's west side.

On Monday night, hospital administrator Dolan Dalpoas told the Lincoln City Council the new facility should be open in 2010. Dalpoas is requesting a letter of support from the city for the project. Earlier this month, Mayor Beth Davis-Kavelman requested more information on plans for the existing facility once it is closed before approving the request.

"Our strong desire and intent is to find an alternate use," Dalpoas said. "What that is at this point is undetermined. We simply will not walk away and leave it boarded up. We have too much civic pride and care too much about that building to let that happen."

Alderman Marty Neitzel asked if the hospital building would need much work if someone wanted to purchase it for an alternate use.

"I was present at some of the focus-group discussions pertaining to the building of a new hospital, and one concern I have is if the heating and air-conditioning systems are adequate," Neitzel said.

Dolan said it was premature to predict what type of organization or business would consider the building.

"All of those things were taken into consideration during the course of the five years we considered the move into a new facility," Dolan said. "But it would really depend upon who was interested in it and what purpose they had."

Dolan said the planning process for the new facility was still in the early stages. Decisions on square footage and the number of rooms have still not been made.

"What we can say is that one of the advantages of the new site is that there are 58 acres there," he said. "Healthcare constantly changes and all we can do is predict as best we can, what will happen in the future. If 50 years from now, we have to build a new facility, we would have the room."

Davis-Kavelman asked if the new facility would eliminate the need to transfer patients to other hospitals.

"Will the hospital allow us to treat more patients here instead of transferring them to Bloomington, Peoria or Springfield?" she asked.

Dolan said the new hospital will attempt to serve as many as possible.

"More patients, particularly surgery patients, are being treated on an outpatient basis," he said. "We would still want to transfer patients to a higher level of care when it is outside of our scope."

The council did not take any action on the requested endorsement letter.