Two new hospitals for residents of northern Vancouver Island are on the horizon and the Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA) is seeking proposals from pre-qualified contractors to carry out site preparation work at the sites in Campbell River and Courtenay.
“This is an exciting time for residents of the Comox Valley, Campbell River and Northern Vancouver Island,” said Don McRae, MLA Comox Valley. “Site preparation work is a milestone for this project as we head towards opening these state-of-the-art hospitals in 2017.”
The required work to prepare the two sites for eventual construction includes survey work, tree removal, soil erosion prevention, a landscape interface zone and site fencing.
The Campbell River site also includes temporary parking, some building deconstruction to facilitate site access for ambulances and temporary space for Sunshine Wellness Centre staff and hospital project staff.
“This site preparation work will help the eventual builder of the hospitals hit the ground running,” said Tom Sparrow, Chief Project Officer for the North Island Hospitals Project. “I look forward to seeing equipment at work on these sites.”
The contractors who will be selected to carry out the site preparation work will be selected from a list of service providers that was determined following a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) process that took place in November.
Site preparation work on the Comox Valley site is expected to begin in February of next year, continuing through to the month of June 2013.
Preparation work on the Campbell River site is expected to begin in March with completion scheduled for November 2013.
A Request For Proposals for the actual construction and operation of the two hospitals will be issued early in 2013.
Construction of the new hospitals in Campbell River and the Comox Valley will begin in 2014, with completion slated for fall of 2017.
For more information on the North Island Hospitals Project, visit the project webpage on the VIHA website: http://www.viha.ca/about_viha/building_for_health/nihp.htm