STERLING – To meet what it calls a growing demand, CGH Medical Center is expanding its Emergency Department as part of a $7 million project.

CGH has asked Sterling City Council to pay for the work by refinancing $26 million in existing CGH debt and issuing $7.5 million in new general obligation bonds. The council will have a public hearing on the bond proposal next month, and is expected to approve refinancing after that.

When the Emergency Department opened in 1993, it was meant to serve 17,000 visits a year, said Ed Andersen, CGH's president and CEO. Last year, the hospital had 29,000 visits, he said.