June 4, 1998
(Works, Services and Transportation)

The following statement was issued today by Lloyd Matthews, Minister of Works, Services and Transportation. It was also read in the House of Assembly:

Janeway Redevelopment

Today I'm pleased to report to Honourable Members that construction of the new Janeway Health Centre is two months ahead of schedule. The speed of progress on the new facility is attributed largely to the mild winter, which has enabled the contractor to work almost year round on the project.

To date three contracts valued at approximately $22 million have been awarded for foundation and site work, construction of the building exterior, and the installation of elevator systems. In the next two weeks, three additional contracts will be awarded for electrical, mechanical and fire protection systems. Within the next month, tenders will be called for a number of projects including work on the interior of the building, and also for ventilation and for electrical distribution systems. By mid summer, approximately 90-95 per cent of work anticipated for the construction of the new Janeway will have been tendered and awarded.

Today, there are about 50 people employed at the construction site. By late summer, once the remaining contracts have been awarded for mechanical and electrical work, we anticipate several hundred people will be working on site.

Redevelopment of health facilities in St. John's represents a $130 million investment in our infrastructure. Of that $130 million, between $65 and $70 million is allocated for the construction of a new Janeway Health Centre. We are within our original budget estimates and anticipate a completion date of the new facility by spring of the year 2000.

I want to take a moment to acknowledge the efforts of both Pyramid Construction and Olympic Construction, the primary contractors to date, for bringing this project ahead of schedule.

In addition to work on the new Janeway, we are also overseeing a number of redevelopment projects for other health facilities in the St. John's area. Approximately $20 million in expansions and renovations to the Health Sciences Centre will get under way this summer and carry over into next year. This includes plans to expand the emergency and the ICU areas. Design work is now 90 per cent complete. As well, another $20 million is allocated for renovations to St. Clare's Mercy Hospital, including the installation of new mechanical and electrical systems. Work on this site should begin by the fall. Renovations in the range of $2 million for the Waterford Hospital will be under way within the next two weeks.

Finally, we are in the design stage for an extension to the utilities annex at Memorial University. This project, estimated at $6 million, will include installation of additional heating and cooling systems and emergency power supply for the new Janeway.

At this time, I am pleased to report that we are within our schedules and budget projections for all projects.

1998 06 04 2:20 p.m.