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Councillor Marsha Leggett
The addition to the Kincardine Community Medical Clinic has run
into a snag, and the estimated price of $2.25 million has increased
by $350,000.
In committee-of-the-whole Wednesday night (April 1), chief executive
officer John deRosenroll outlined the project to construct a
5,500-square-foot addition to the west of the clinic. This will
allow all the physicians to work on the upper floor, with some
administration and secondary uses on the lower level.
The project was set to go to tender April 22, with the contract
awarded at the June 3 council meeting, and construction beginning
June 12, said deRosenroll. The first phase is the temporary
relocation of physicians to the lower level, followed by
construction of the addition over six to eight months, renovation of
the existing upper and lower clinics over two to three months, and
then the final phase with McKechnie Pharmacy moving back to its
original location on the lower floor.
The major concern, said deRosenroll, is that the original estimate
of $2.25 million, plus $60,500 for the lower level renovations, has
been updated, and the new estimate is $2.6 million to reflect
increased renovation work. Also on the agenda was a request to
outfit the clinic with a back-up generator, at a cost of $30,000 to
$40,000.
"This project is not unlike other community buildings," said
councillor Kenneth Craig. "When you start fixing things and hooking
one building to another, you can expect extra expenses and cost
over-runs."
Councillor Marsha Leggett said the people who rent the facility are
not happy with the design or the difficulty they will face when the
two walls are connected between the existing clinic and the
addition. "The doctors and workers are upset," she said. "It's too
far to walk to the hospital (from the clinic). I'm tired of all
this. I feel like we're being put into a corner and I don't like it.
They (doctors) tell us if they don't like it, they're going to
leave."
"The medical community met with the architect Monday," said
deRosenroll. "They are confident in the design for their building.
They are fully supportive."
"Let's get the doctors in here so we can ensure everyone has agreed
with the plan before we decide on this project," said councillor
Mike Leggett who noted he had also received calls, as had
councillors Ron Hewitt, Randy Roppel and Guy Anderson.
"We can have the doctors attend and tell you directly that they're
pleased," said deRosenroll. (next column)
05/04/2009 10:11 PM
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Dr. Lisa Roth
Anderson said his calls were from the public saying the
building is costing too much money. "It's a municipal building, not a
doctors' building," he said. "They should be in the basement and there
should be no addition. They're spending municipal money quite freely.
Why not give them the building and let them build the addition? We're
not supposed to be in the medical business anyway."
"Perhaps we should step back from this project for a month or six weeks
or two months before we agree on the $2.7-million cost," said Hewitt.
"That actually means $3 million," quipped Mike Leggett.
"If we step back, it's for no more than 30 days," said Roppel. "Do we
want to build onto the end of the hospital? We could consider it, but
only for 30 days."
Deputy mayor Laura Haight, chairing the meeting in the absence of the
mayor, said she is disappointed that individual councillors are being
targeted by comments from the public and the medical community, rather
than the entire council being addressed about these concerns. "I'm
hoping we can continue with this project (addition) and not throw it
out," she said.
In an interview Friday, Dr. Lisa Roth, representing the physicians at
the clinic, said she was taken by total surprise Thursday morning when
word reached her that the doctors are not happy with plans for the
clinic addition and renovations. "I spent yesterday and this morning
doing some fact-finding," she said. "The medical community is meeting
regularly with the architects. They're a good firm with good suggestions
and they have allowed us significant input on the design. Things have
been going smoothly."
She said the medical community was hoping this project would go to
tender and come in at a reasonable price so construction could begin.
She understood that deRosenroll was going to council with a simple
update about the project Wednesday night, and she was quite surprised to
hear that the addition is now on hold.
"I have spoken to five per cent of my colleagues and not one of them was
approached by anybody about problems with the clinic," she said. "Of
course, we're all worried about getting through the construction part."
A meeting has been set for Monday at lunch time, between representatives
of the physicians committee and the mayor and members of council to find
out what's happening and sort out the problem.
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