Premier Pat Binns announced today that Government has reached an agreement with East Prince Partnerships Limited (EPPL) of Summerside to build the new East Prince Health Facility.
Premier Binns expressed pleasure that this major milestone in the planning process has now been reached. "We are very pleased to announce today that our new health facility will be built by an Island firm based in Summerside, thereby facilitating the timely start-up of construction and the retention of economic benefits in our province," said the Premier. "In addition to the $13 million raised by the campaign team for equipment, the total cost of the new facility will be more than $50 million, making it the largest single investment in health and wellness ever undertaken in the province."
The agreement was reached following successful negotiations between government and East Prince Partnerships Ltd. this week. The negotiated price to build the facility is $38,150,000.
Health and Social Services Minister Jamie Ballem advised that, with the right conditions, targeted construction timelines are still achievable. "Although it took a bit longer than we hoped to reach this point in the planning process, we believe the extra time and effort was well worth it. We are pleased that the contract will be awarded to our first-ranked proponent, an Island firm, who best demonstrated the ability to meet the criteria set out by the planning and evaluation team," said the minister. "We believe we now have a fair price, achievable targets, and we look forward to proceeding without delay."
Mike Schurman, president of East Prince Partnerships Ltd., advised that work on the project will begin immediately. "We were very pleased with the way in which negotiations took place. In our view, this is a win-win situation for government, the municipality, small business, and the people of East Prince," said Mr. Schurman.
Minister Ballem advised that this is the last major planning phase before construction begins. The first major phase, the Role Study, completed in December 1998, defined the broad role of the facility which is to maintain the high standard of excellence achieved by the Prince County Hospital in the delivery of acute care, wellness, integrated services, and information technology. The Functional Program, completed in July 2000, defined how services will be delivered within the facility using the best modern information and medical technology available. The design phase was completed in February of this year, and a final price has now been agreed upon, based on these plans and specifications.
Minister Ballem advised that, once the contract with East Prince Partnerships Ltd. is finalized, work can begin. "We have our project team assembled, and a host of parallel activity is ongoing as we continue to plan for equipment, information and communications technology," said the minister.
"Today is a landmark day in the planning process that brings us a major step closer to making our new facility a reality," advised East Prince Health Board Chair Katherine Kelly. "We are thrilled with today's news. Staff, physicians and the community have contributed a tremendous amount of time and ideas to the planning of this facility. The contribution of the Prince County Hospital Foundation volunteers and their 12.5 million dollar capital campaign will help make this facility truly state of the art. This announcement gives everyone in the community a reason to celebrate. "