Construction on the expansion of St. Mary's Hospital in Sechelt is now set to start in March 2010.
The date has been pushed back according to Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) officials as the design of the hospital has changed.
"We knew that it would delay construction for six to nine months when we made the choice to go to single-occupancy rooms," said Anna Marie D'Angelo, senior media relation's officer for VCH.
According to D'Angelo the timeline will see final designs completed by late summer with VCH getting final design and contract documentation approved by January 2010. VCH will then go tender the construction contract in February, starting construction in March 2010 with completion by early 2011. Originally, construction was to start later this year.
"This is worst case scenario and we are doing everything possible to reduce the timelines," she said.
D'Angelo said the delays have also been necessitated by VCH's desire to incorporate state-of-the-art infection control standards and the B.C. Climate Action Secretariat and Ministry of Health approved an additional $2.4 million for the project as the building meets an internationally recognized environmental building standard.
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Canada is a green building rating system. The new hospital expansion development received gold status after architects for the project presented their plans to a board of LEED accredited judges in September 2008.In an interview with Coast Reporter last month, VCH spokesman Gavin Wilson said St. Mary's Hospital will be the first LEED building in the VCH region.
Also, according to VCH, with the generous support of the St. Mary's Hospital Foundation and the auxiliary - who approved up to $2 million for new equipment for the project - VCH has been able to re-direct that amount in the previous budget to the construction budget of the single occupancy rooms.
"We've also re-sized some of the entrance ways and made other modifications that will improve safety," said D'Angelo. "All of these things were major changes in the way the hospital would be set up so it changed the whole configuration of the expansion. We're working very hard to provide the best hospital possible. I think it's going to be a great facility."
