The next set of planning documents for the expansion of the Intensive Care Unit at Belleville General Hospital is set to be submitted to the province.
Since the project is considered to be urgent due to overcrowding at the Belleville ICU, Quinte Health Care’s Board of Directors is trying to move things along as fast as it can by submitting the next set of documents to the Ministry of Health on September 4, with the hope of beginning the first stage of work by September 18.
The entire project would expand Belleville’s ICU capacity from 14 beds to 18 and reconfigure administrative and support spaces.
The work is expected to cost just over $5.5 million with the province committing a one-time grant of more than $4.3 million and the rest of the money to be sourced from the community.
That $1.2 million or so would be funded through commitments from QHC’s four foundations.
The project timeline is as follows:
- Stage 1 includes relocation of existing occupancies from the ICU area into other available space on Quinte 1. The work was tendered in July and awarded to K. Knudsen Construction. The contract amount is $136,417. This work is ongoing and is scheduled to be completed September 18.
- The contract for demolition of the administrative areas in the existing ICU required for the bed expansion was tendered in July and awarded to Tom Belch and Sons. The contract amount is $58,844. The demolition work is scheduled to start the week of September 21 and be completed October 18.
- The fit-out work will be tendered following approval of the Stage 4.1 package by MoH, as soon as possible after the completion of the demolition work, approximately October 18. The construction work will start after completion of tendering and approval of the tender result by MOH. The target timeframe for the start of construction is late December.
- The fit-out contract will incorporate pre-tendering of long delivery items (air handler, headwalls etc., patient room doors) to avoid delay in the fit-out construction phase.
- The current bed capacity of the ICU is 14 beds and this will be increased to 18 beds. The project will be constructed in four phases but the additional four beds will be available for use on completion of Phase 1. The remaining three phases are to reconfigure administrative and support space in the overall ICU.
A report from QHC VP and Chief Financial Officer Brad Harrington, and Director of Capital Development Bill Andrews says those timelines including:
- Fit-out; Stage 4.1 contract documents complete/submit to MOH early September.
- Head Start relocations complete; Sept 18/20
- Head start demolition complete; October 18/20
- Fit out; tendering; release Nov. 12/20; close December 9/20
- Fit-out; MOH approval of tender: Jan 27/21
- Construction Start: February 10/21
- Phase 1 Construction complete (18 beds complete); April 28/21
- Phase 2, 3, 4 overall project completion; August 28/21
Those timelines are based on the ministry standards and that the following conditions are met:
- LHIN/MOH approvals will be provided within a maximum six weeks from the submission date for both Stage 4.1 (Contract Documents) and Stage 4.2 (tendering).
- No more than one week will be required to process internal QHC approvals (SLT, Board).
- Construction phasing times have been estimated by the architect. The construction must be confirmed by the successful contractor as part of the bid submission package.
- Longer approval/construction times will result as an extension to the projected completion dates given above.
