TEHACHAPI, Calif. -- At the time of its opening in the 1950s, the Tehachapi Hospital was a state-of-the-art facility.

Time moved forward, but the facility did not.

"We don't have central air conditioning in our hospital," CEO Ron Burgess said. "We do have central heat, but in the summer we have to filer the air and run our own A.C."

Burgess, who has managed hospitals on both coasts for more than 20 years, said that care given at this hospital is top notch, however, the facilities leave a lot to be desired.

"We can't provide maternity or an operating room," Burgess said.

A proposed facility would include 25 private rooms, including four ICU rooms, 16 surgical beds and a maternity wing.

In addition to the new space, Burgess said critical equipment, such as an out-of-date CAT scan, can be replaced.

If approved by voters, the plans would be sent to the state in March, and groundbreaking could begin by the fall of 2010.