By DAVID SILVERBERG
SEMO News Service
POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. - Records show Steve and Patty Boyers of Poplar Bluff, Mo., made a recent $3,000 contribution to a member of the Missouri Health Facilities Review Committee.
They made the contribution on June 17 to state Sen. Robin Wright-Jones of St. Louis, Mo. She included the contribution on her July 15 campaign finance report filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission.
This is the second incident involving the couple and a MHFRC member.
MHFRC earlier approved a certificate of need for Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center to build a new hospital on land bordering PP Highway. Donald Bedell of Sikeston, Mo., owns 55 acres of that land where the hospital intended to build. The Boyers own an adjacent 30 acres that would have been part of the hospital campus.
The hospital later decided to build in the Eight Points development project instead and needs MHFRC to approve that site before it can start building. Bedell has dropped opposition to the change, but the Boyers still are vigorously opposing it. If MHFRC does not approve the site change, the hospital cannot build there.
Records also show that on April 7, Rodney Hubbard, the son of MHFRC committee member Penny Hubbard, was hired as a lobbyist by Boycom, Inc., which is owned by the Boyers.
On May 9, the committee approved a certificate of need for a new hospital to be built on the Bedell/Boyers land.
When the hospital filed for a certificate of need for the Oak Grove Road site the request was placed on the agenda for the July 11 MHFRC committee meeting.
On July 11, Penny Hubbard attempted to strike the hospital's request so the new facility would have to be built at the Highway PP site. However, her motion did not receive a second. Her son ceased being a lobbyist for Boycom on Aug. 13.
Hubbard argued against Wright-Jones, who wanted the committee to move forward with the hearing that day.
The committee voted 4-1 to postpone the hearing until Sept. 12.
Later, the hospital's relocation request was placed on the Aug. 15 notice for the committee's telephonic administrative meeting.
Then Patty Boyers prepared a form letter and got six of the Poplar Bluff School Board members to sign it. (Steve Sells was the lone holdout.) The letter asked the committee to delay its decision until Sept. 12 because the board members wanted more information about the tax abatement. The board is expected to decide tonight to schedule a workshop session on the tax abatement on Aug. 25.
Over the weekend, Boyers also had numerous people sign a form saying they were opposed to the relocation. Those were filed with the committee. She also wrote a letter to the editor, which was mailed to the committee without the knowledge, signature or approval of a Poplar Bluff businessman whose name she placed on the letter.
Due to the opposition, the committee decided to not make a decision on Aug. 15. Supporters and opponents will travel to Jefferson City, Mo., for a hearing that will begin at 9 a.m. Sept. 12 in the Capitol Building. It is not known when the hospital's request will be on the agenda.