Vote opens way for med school negotiations

By a vote of six to one, the Provo Municipal Council has approved a resolution to declare a portion of the East Bay Golf Course as surplus property, opening the way for negotiations to begin for the construction of a medical education campus on the site. 

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Wasatch Educational, the holding company of Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (RMUoHP), requested the move that will allow the company to join the 21 acres to a 7.8-acre parcel it already has under contract. 

Founded in Provo in 1998, Wasatch intends to build the proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine on the property. RMUoHP is a regionally accredited institution under the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, an institutional accrediting body. RMUoHP is a graduate healthcare education institution that currently has 12 doctoral programs or doctoral tracks and four master's degree programs in different healthcare specialties. It has a student body and faculty plus alumni from Utah and all 50 states.

“We are pleased to reach this point with the city of Provo,” said Dr. Richard Nielsen, vice president of Wasatch Educational and founding president of Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions. “This has been a collaborative effort with the Provo city administration, mayor’s office, Parks and Recreation and East Bay Golf Course officials. We appreciate everyone’s work and effort that allows us to move forward in negotiating final terms with Mayor (Michelle) Kaufusi for the construction of the medical education campus.”

The resolution placed the location on Provo City’s surplus property list and authorized Kaufusi to negotiate concrete terms for the proposed sale with Wasatch Educational, which will be subject to final approval by the council in a future hearing. The resolution also states the council approval shall not be unreasonably withheld, based on the terms presented in the council meeting, according to a release from Nielsen. 

“Patience is a great trait to have as mayor,” said Kaufusi. “I’m grateful all of the parties, including the Provo Parks and Recreation Department, the principals of the proposed medical school, East Bay Golf Course and the economic development group and city administration, who worked diligently to reach this point. I can guarantee to the council that I will negotiate a great deal that everyone can be proud of.”

Under the proposal, the developers of the proposed medical education campus will pay for the relocation of the three current golf holes to the southeastern portion of the course. The new holes will be designed, relocated and playable before construction on the medical education campus begins.{/mprestriction}