Following a recommendation from the Petersburg Medical Center's Long Term Planning Committee the hospital board voted Thursday night to proceed with building a new hospital in lieu of making extensive renovations to the existing facility.

In May 2016 architects from the firm Jensen Yorba Lott presented the PMC board with five options: do nothing; make systematic replacements; make phased renovations; build an addition and renovate in

phases and construct a new facility.

PMC CEO Liz Woodyard said last week that the board vote, "Is the beginning of a long process that at any point can stop,...