Officials at City Hall in North Battleford say they believe the start of construction on the new Saskatchewan Hospital is around the corner.
At their Planning Committee meeting Monday, Director of Planning and Development Tim LaFreniere said there is “no question the project will be going ahead.”
“Tenders are being let,” he said, adding “you’ll start to see construction activity around the 20th of April, or prior to the 20th of April.” Some preliminary work is to occur “prior to the migratory bird season,” LaFreniere said.
There was some discussion of the infrastructure the City would supply for the project in terms of sewer and water lines. LaFreniere confirmed at the meeting the City is working on several key items with the province including such things as temporary access roads, permanent access roads and operating agreements for maintenance and repair of the existing roads during the construction period.
Whether the new hospital would fit in the City limits itself was also discussed. The existing Saskatchewan Hospital and grounds are located within the jurisdictional boundaries of the RM of North Battleford, LaFreniere noted.
It appears the new hospital will lie between jurisdictional boundaries. LaFreniere indicated the expectation is a quarter of the building could be within City limits and the other three-quarters within the RM, but they have not seen any of the three competing designs to date.
