TURTLECREEK TWP. — Trustees got encouragement from residents Monday to resume negotiations over the city of Middletown's expected annexation of a new hospital site in this Warren County township.

        “This is what our lawyers say: It can happen with us, or it can happen without us,” Trustee Dan George said.

        An audience of 60 hashed out the pros and cons of Middletown Regional Hospital moving to Greentree Road. The hospital already controls the property, trustees noted, and a show of hands at the end the meeting showed the majority supported negotiating with the city of Middletown.

        “This property is going to develop one way or another,” neighbor J. Donald Sams said. “It's not going to stay farm land forever.”

        Some Keep Out members remained opposed: “That's the western door of growth in Warren County. You've got to keep it closed,” Harley Shook said.

        But for perhaps the first time since Middletown Regional announced its intention almost a year ago to move to the township, more people spoke for the project than against.

        “There is in fact broad-based support for the project in Warren County,” township resident Larry Hollingshead said. “It means improved health care for all residents.”

        And ultimately, said former state Rep. George Terwilleger, “the (county) commissioners can't stop it, you can't stop it, so you might as well grab hold of an apple that can be eaten. What you get in the future could be a whole lot worse.”

        The deal Turtlecreek and the city of Middletown had been discussing would guarantee no further annexations by the city eastward and give the township 25 percent of tax revenue at the site.

        The trustees' meeting occurred against a backdrop of a new map showing Middletown Regional's planned 500-acre health and technology campus.

        An area on Union Road — also in Turtlecreek — that had been part of the campus has been removed.

        In addition to a $125 million hospital to replace Middletown Regional's aging McKnight Drive campus, the new site would include educational facilities, doctors' offices and health- and technology-related industry.

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