Construction of the Revolution Hospital in the Dominican Republic: Onward!

View looking Southeast, the large dark square area is the loading dock. The building is 95% plastered.

After a one+ year stoppage of work from August 2017 until October 2018, things are really coming along and there is much good news to report!

As you may recall, we stopped work in 2017 because we were at the point of needing to purchase finish materials - doors, windows, electrical wire and devices, paint, plumbing fixtures and more. Normally in the DR, when purchasing these types of goods an 18% tax is added, SRI was not willing to use your donated funds in order to pay this tax. Obtaining tax exemption is not an easy process in the DR, but when a $5M building is being built, the difficulties are worth the effort. This arduous task of meeting government requirements took place during this stoppage of work. Frank Beltre (project financial manager) devoted a huge amount of work into this task, and the benefits are now tangible. It is not a "one-and-done" process, but requires continued effort as each purchase must be have both vendor and purchaser approved by the government. Frank continually is working on applications for purchases and to date his efforts have saved the project $24,000. It is a vital step toward building the clinic as cost-effectively as possible.

Another huge step was the agreements between ACPSI (our Dominican partner) and Solid Rock regarding ownership and oversight of operations. Solid Rock and ACPSI are now co-owners, and a committee of equal representation from both organizations is and will continue to plan and manage the operation of the clinic. The clinic will be a Dominican-run facility, but there will be a beneficial North American presence - several US and Canadian medical folks plan to spend extended periods of time helping at the clinic from serving as doctors and nurses to emergency response capabilities, and my hope is that a strong relationship is established between the clinic and US medical schools - the potential is enormous for both sides, and especially for the poor in the San Juan region.

Additionally, ACPSI recently was granted tax exoneration on the importing of some goods that were shipped from the US. This is a huge step that can avoid import taxes that potentially could be as high as 40%. With this approval, we now can get materials and supplies shipped from the US without paying import taxes, so when manufacturers or US distributors are willing to help with the cost of their goods, we will be able to get them to the project tax-free.

In recent months we have been very encouraged that we hope to be partnering with a medical equipment and supplies non-profit that is a very established organization with ties to medical facilities around the world. This partnership can provide an economical source of disposable supplies that will continually be used at the clinic, and it looks promising that outfitting the entire facility with furnishings and medical equipment might cost less than our budgeted amount.

Finally, with heavy equipment being needed to finish-out the site with grading and earth-moving, we considered asking the Caterpillar dealer in Santo Domingo if they might help us out again as they did in 2015 - they are doing so again! Frank, Victor and some others from our construction team met with the CAT dealer and they will be providing many pieces of equipment, from backhoes to graders and loaders.

So that 14 month pause was a very productive time in spite of the fact that no actual construction took place, and recent events have only added to the stream of positive news.

The stoppage did cause me to decide to re-locate back in Virginia, but construction is back in full swing with Frank and our Dominican engineer/builder Victor Polanco managing the work very well. We talk via phone up to twice a week, and I am staying very involved but from a distance. Many design details and other issues keep my mind in the DR. I am very encouraged with so many positive connections and successes - God will see it through.

I hope that with so many hanging issues now resolved, people and organizations will have the confidence and faith to provide Solid Rock with the funds needed to finish this project, open it's doors and continue 30 years of work well into the future for decades to come. Dr Canario opened the existing clinic in 1989 and the work that has taken place since then has saved countless lives both literally and spiritually, so it is a fitting 30th anniversary that this replacement facility will allow his vision to take on a whole new scope of service doing God's work and serving the poor well into the future.

Good Stuff.

Ken

ps - Here are some exciting pictures showing progress at the site:

View from the Highway centered on the Emergency Room entrance

The Front Wall with the Northwest corner of the property at the left edge of the picture.

Tirso (our amazing security/everything man) atop one of the power poles that will hold the electrical power lines from across the highway before going underground on the site. The front wall extends across the front of the property behind him.