The expansion at St. Mary's Hospital is expected to be completed on time and on budget, although construction has hit some snags and the heliport pad will need to be closed for six months.
Larry Harder of the Lower Mainland Con-solidated Health Authority came to update SCRD directors on the work now underway at the hospital during the Jan. 27 regional hospital district meeting.
He noted construction on site is on budget at $44.15 million, although a recent discovery forced workers to drill more holes to make the planned geothermal heating a possibility.
"We were putting in the geothermal wells, but as we were drilling, we hit bedrock at a lot higher elevation than anticipated, and as a result we have had to drill 12 more holes to get the thermal capacity," Harder said.
Another snag is a ruling by Transport Canada that says all helicopter flights to the hospital must be halted while a crane is situated on site.
"Unfortunately, the crane would sweep into the flight path and there's no way to tie it down, so Transport Canada said under those conditions you have to shut down, period," said Don Jenion, senior project manager.
The closure caused some concern from directors who asked how people needing the helicopter service would get to the Lower Mainland in an emergency.
It was noted that in an emergency, Transport Canada would allow a helicopter to land on site; however, all non-emergency transfers would have to be done by hovercraft or ferry.
The expected project completion date for the expansion is July, 2012.
