Photos and latest word on new Portage hospital – PortageOnline.com
Some activity is noted on the site of the former Agassiz Youth Center (AYC) where the new Portage District General Hospital is to be built. We caught up with Southern Health-Santé Sud’s implementation manager, Kyle MacNair, to keep us updated on the latest information on the project.
“The stacking has started,” says MacNair. “It will be running from around February 26th and we’re hoping to have it ready around May 4th. They stack in different places. This is an early stage. So it’s kind of a test stack in various spots throughout the property, but that’s where the facility is meant to go. So, she’s going to the northernmost part of the AYC property, which is closest to the hospital and the helipad.”
MacNair explains that this plan extends to 2025 and various things could come up that could cause delays. As a rule, the stacking will last until May. The concrete will then hopefully be poured from April to around July. This then brings us to the structure being raised, which will take a long time from July to February 2024.
“Then the internal work will run from around November 2023 to December 2024,” says MacNair. “And the interior work will follow by around July 2025. So the half-timbered construction will go up this summer.”
He says there will be two entrances from Crescent Road.
“There will be a main patient flow entrance off Crescent Road and then there will be a second entrance further north. This will be the EMS entrance to the facility closer to the helipad. There will also be staff entrances at the back of the facility. Staff will be able to access the rear parking lot on Queen Ave. or 9th St. – this intersection that staff is currently using. Currently the public parking lots and the employee parking lots are located on Queen Ave. Now the public entrance will be more on Crescent Rd.”
As you build, you’ll see workers accessing the entrances that will later be used as entrances, giving you an idea of where those entrances will be located.
MacNair says don’t miss the opportunity they’re opening to the public next month to see some of the drawings, meet the architecture team that’s doing it, ask questions about the facility and layout, and get lots more information about how this project will go on.
“The team is preparing to release the information further,” adds MacNair. “We wanted as many people as possible to attend the event and come out and learn about the project and be as excited as we are.”