Rehabilitation hospital to open in Kyle by 2014

 KYLE, Texas -- One of the fastest growing cities in Texas is breaking ground on even more expansion. A rehabilitation hospital will open in Kyle by September 2014.

A groundbreaking was held Monday for the Warm Springs Rehabilitation Hospital of Kyle. Because of rain, the ceremony was moved inside Seton hospital, which is across the street from where it will be built.

The new rehabilitation hospital, which will Seton is a partner in, will cost $54 million. It will be a two-floor, 40 bed hospital that will specialize in rehabilitation for stroke, brain and spinal cord injuries, plus amputations and major traumas.

Mayor Lucy Johnson says Kyle has "Become a little bit of a medical hub here in the Central Texas region. Which we've been thrilled about."

She says since Seton opened in 2009, other medical facilities have built around it, currently employing around 100 doctors in Kyle.

Director of Community Development Jerry Hendrix says as other businesses open around that expansion, sales tax revenue grows in double digits every month.

"Our property tax valuation since 2006 has gone from just under a billion to over $1.5-billion, over a 50 percent increase," said Hendrix.

Another project on the way in Kyle is a facility that will have restaurants, a bowling alley, a movie theater, arcade and billiards, and an Austin Community College campus will open this spring.

Over the past 15 years Kyle has grown from a town of less than 5,000 to more than 30,000. With that explosion, the city has hit some crossroads. 

"We've struggled with increasing water costs; providing water for all our new residents has been a challenge," said Mayor Johnson.

They're embracing the challenge. Voters approved $35 million in this past May's bond election to improve five roads. In 2007, the city spent $1.5 million on downtown street scape and lighting, along with a $700,000 restoration of City Hall.

http://www.kvue.com/news/Rehabilitation-Hospital-to-open-in-Kyle-by-Fall-of-2014-215594401.html