Valley Medical has moved a step closer to building a 24-hour emergency services department in Covington.

According to Mike Glenn, senior vice president of business development for Valley, the public hospital signed a contract with Ashton Development for the property in the Town Center area.

Glenn stated the deal is for 10 acres and Valley would like to break ground by August.

“We are working with the design team,” Glenn said. “We want to begin construction in the late summer or early fall and begin seeing patients in Sept. 2011.”

Glenn said the plan is for a two-story building with the second floor used for doctor offices.

Glenn said Valley has also filed a certificate of need with the Department of Health to add 60 beds to Valley Medical Center.

Most of the beds would be placed in the Emergency Services South Tower. Construction was completed on the $115 million tower in January.

Glenn said the Department of Health would likely make a decision on the 60-bed application by the end of the year.

MulitCare is also planning to build an emergency services department at the Covington Urgent Care site, along with a 58-bed hospital on the site.

MultiCare has submitted a certificate of need application.

The plan for MultiCare is to build the emergency services department and eventually expand into a 58-bed hospital.

Glenn said Valley is not planning to build a hospital in Covington at this time, but the 10-acre site is large enough to accommodate one at a later date.

For Valley to begin construction the permanent zoning for the site must be completed, which is expected to be wrapped up by the summer.