Site preparation work for the new Burns Lake hospital is complete and the project continues to be on budget.
The $55 million project is slated to be completed in the summer of 2015, however the contract for the construction phase won't be awarded until next year once the request for proposals closes in the spring. The site preparation work, which cost $1.3 million, included installing new sewer lines, relocating the nurses' residence and moving some of the perimeter fencing.
"Achieving this milestone of completing site preparation activities is an important step forward for the hospital replacement project," Nechako Lakes MLA John Rustad said in a news release. "Our government is committed to this project and pleased with the progress."
Northern Health provided an update of its major capital projects at a board meeting on Monday afternoon and indicated there were no anticipated delays with the construction of the hospital. Most of the other 31 projects are on time, however the health authority indicated 10 are behind schedule, including two in the northern interior region. The master plan for Quesnel is delayed due to availability issues, but remains on budget.
Renovations to outpatient services at St. John Hospital in Vanderhoof are behind schedule and are one of two projects listed as over budget. They were originally slated to cost about $3 million but have risen to close to $5 million. The higher figure reflects a redesign of the project after consultations with user groups and rising construction costs.
The only other project projected to go over budget involves a code upgrade to a computer system.
