....October 23, 11:18 AM
	Three Closed Hospitals Have No Med Future By Vladic Ravich Its official - Queens will not see any of the three hospitals it lost rise from the grave. Between the announcement of an auction winner for Mary Immaculate and St. John's hospitals and the failed legal attempt to reopen Parkway, Oct. 20 marked the official end of the line for the hospitals. Brooklyn-based Guttman Realty won the auction for the two buildings owned by the now bankrupt Caritas Health Care for a total bid of $26.625 million. "Despite a weak economy, these development sites sparked a heated and highly competitive bidding process," said Mr. Weiss, vice president of CB Richard Ellis which handled the auction. "Although driven to sell by a bankruptcy, the excellent central Queens location of these sites, including outstanding public transportation and a dense residential and retail population produced great buyer interest." According to Weiss, the buyer envisions several options for the Mary Immaculate site, including a new life as an educational facility, a non-profit organization use, a government building or a religious facility. He said the St. John's site may be used for office space, but no definite plans have been announced. Meanwhile, Parkway lost its bid to reinstate their license when Judge Lewis Kaplan shot down their bid for a mandatory injunction, saying that "nothing in Parkway's submissions shows they can make profit," which is needed to meet the legal threshold of irrespirable harm. Parkway is still pursing around $130 million from the State in a separate hearing before a bankruptcy court. However, in filing Tuesday's motion, Parkway argued the other case was not an option for recourse because the 11th amendment prevented them from winning the case. Judge Kaplan called this "more than passingly strange," and rebuked the hospital's request from a variety of legal angles. While the bankruptcy case is still proceeding, Parkway's legal team said this ruling meant the odds of reopening the hospital are "next to none." Instead, Parkway spokesman Alan Krawitz said the attention should now focus on a letter submitted to the court by bankruptcy court-appointed Receiver Thomas Seaman, which includes a threat that the "only viable use" for the Parkway site is as a low security jail, an immigrant detention center or a halfway house. Reach Reporter Vladic Ravich at vravich@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 121.