Ontario Construction News staff writer
Plans for a new hospital in Markdale are moving forward after Grey County council recently approved a bylaw to transfer land to Grey Bruce Health Services.
“This is a really positive day for Grey County and GBHS,” said Kim Wingrove, CAO for Grey County. “It has been a long time, a lot of work and a lot of support has gone into making this transfer possible.”
It’s been more than a decade since the plan for a new hospital started.
According to the director of planning and development, the land transfer is a critical piece that will allow Grey Highlands to issue a site plan approval and building permits to launch construction.
Grey Highlands council received the site plan agreement and authorized the mayor and clerk to sign – signalling an acceleration in the process.
The next steps will be finalizing the site plan and the site plan agreement before pulling building permits and putting the project out to tender in 2020.
Grey Highlands staff have been working with a consultant for the past three years to refine the site and serving plans and submitted detailed drawings of the proposed new facility to the Ministry of Health.
Construction costs are estimated at $65 million and the project will take approximately two years to complete.
The 68,000 square-foot hospital hospital will include 68,000 square feet of space, four acute care beds, a palliative care room, emergency room with four exam and treatment areas, laboratory, diagnostic imaging, physiotherapy, space for ambulatory care clinics, and two ambulance bays.
Grey County Warden Paul McQueen says work will speed up through the summer and a contractor should be in place by fall.