The Lompoc Valley Medical Center plans to expand some outpatient services to Vandenberg Village with the acquisition of key property, according to an update provided this week. 

Steve Popkin, chief executive officer of the hospital, shared that escrow should close May 10 for the purchase of the former CoastHills Credit Union headquarters at the corner Constellation Road and Burton Mesa Boulevard.

CoastHills will lease back slightly less than half of the building to keep opening its credit union branch, and LVMC will expand its Lompoc Health medical clinics and offer a variety of outpatient services.

“With the permitting process and the construction time, it will be approximately a year before we’re operational at that location,” Popkin said.

His comments came Wednesday during a State of the City luncheon hosted by the Lompoc Valley Chamber of Commerce at the Dick DeWees Community & Senior Center with about 90 people in the audience.

Along with the traditional update on city government by the mayor and city manager, this year’s event included presentations by Popkin and the Lompoc Unified School District’s new leader.

Popkin provided a reminder about Lompoc launching the state’s first health care district in 1936. Today, California has just 33 health care districts.

In addition to the hospital, a comprehensive care center and medical offices, the Lompoc health care district also leases its old hospital building to Crestwood Behavioral Health to operate an 80-bed mental health rehabilitation center — “a much-needed facility,” Popkin said.

LVMC also acquired a surgical robot and a new MRI machine, and will implement in-patient dialysis to hospital patients, avoiding having to transfer them to another facility. 

“For any of you that may have had trouble finding a parking spot at the hospital recently, we are constructing a new parking lot once our plans are approved by the city, which have just been submitted,” Popkin said. “No pressure, any planners that might be here.” 

That lot on district-owned land nearby will provide parking for employees and free up spaces at the hospital for others. 

In her presentation, Mayor Jenelle Osborne noted the city’s ongoing recovery from financial woes as she reported on the progress and challenges for various departments within the city.

“It’s only been two years where we’ve gotten that additional revenue and the change we needed to start returning our community to the health and vibrancy and opening the door to its future, so we’re really on a new path,” Osborne said. “I want to thank you all for all you do and continue to do to make our community great.”

This year, the city will celebrate its 135th birthday, leading to a student-created logo and planned celebration on the afternoon of Aug. 12, the mayor said. 

In conjunction with the upcoming birthday, the city also launched an interactive website, available here, showing Lompoc in 1938 and today.

“It’s a fun thing to share with family and friends and play around with,” Osborne said. 

Superintendent Clara Finneran, who took the helm of the Lompoc school district earlier this year, shared her philosophy. 

“I have always loved my work in education,” she said. “I’m just so glad to be able to serve here in this community.”