Editor:
Northern Health is pleased with the progress made in 2013 on the Lakes District Hospital and Health Centre project. Construction is well underway on the $55 million project, and we’re excited to continue moving the project forward to completion in the Fall of 2015.
March of 2013 marked the end of the procurement process to find a team to design and build the new hospital and health centre. PCL Westcoast Constructors Inc., along with CEI Architecture, was selected as the contractors to carry out the work on the new facility. On March 27, 2013, the design of the facility was unveiled to the public in a community update meeting in the Village of Burns Lake. The new hospital and health centre will have 16 beds, provide acute care and emergency services, diagnostic imaging, a laboratory and pharmacy. Facility space is planned for the medical clinic along with the delivery of mental health and additions services, public health, and home and community care, and will include administrative and logistical services. The design included considerations such as ensuring it fits within the wood first initiative and natural light is available by strategically placed windows throughout the facility.
Ground was officially broken on the project at a ceremony on April 12, 2013. Following the groundbreaking ceremony, crews worked to finalize construction details and the design of the facility. In June the first excavator, operated by a Burns Lake resident, arrived on site to clear the ground for the facility. Activity in July included the first concrete pour, an event celebrated by the Province of B.C., Northern Health, Stuart-Nechako Regional Hospital District, and Village of Burns Lake. The final concrete pour for the structure occurred in November. Currently, crews are working on the roof and inside the facility.
2014 will be another exciting year for the Lakes District Hospital and Health Centre project. It is the goal of the crews to have the exterior walls and roofing completed early in the year, and many more milestones are ahead.
Paul Rudecki
Project Director - Northern Health