445 replies to this topic

[Holden West]

QUESTIONS SURROUND JUBILEE HOSPITAL PROJECT

May 9, 2007

PLANS FOR A NEW 500-BED PATIENT TOWER AT ROYAL JUBILEE HOSPITAL CAME BEFORE THE CAPITAL REGIONAL DISTRICT HOSPITAL BOARD WEDNESDAY, AMID ACCUSATIONS OF SECRECY AT THE VANCOUVER ISLAND HEALTH AUTHORITY.

VIHA C.E.O. HOWARD WALDNER TOLD HOSPITAL BOARD DIRECTORS -- THAT IS, LOCAL MAYORS AND COUNCILLORS -- ABOUT THE BASICS OF THE PROJECT.

CAPITAL REGION TAXPAYERS ARE EXPECTED TO CHIP IN $100-MILLION, BUT DIRECTOR JUDY BROWNOFF -- A SAANICH COUNCILLOR -- SAYS THAT'S NOT SET IN STONE.

"THERE'S NO LEGISLATIVE AUTHORITY THAT WE HAVE TO PAY 40-PERCENT," SAYS BROWNOFF. "WE HAVE A LOT OF FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS COMING DOWN THE PIKE. IF WE DECIDE WE'RE ONLY GIVING [THE PROJECT] THIS MUCH, THAT'LL BE OUR CONTRIBUTION."

BROWNOFF SAYS VIHA IS ASKING FOR BIG MONEY WHILE AT THE SAME TIME HOLDING BACK VITAL DOCUMENTS FROM PUBLIC SCRUTINY.

"IT'S ALWAYS BETTER TO WORK WITH YOUR PARTNER," BROWNOFF SAYS. YOU CAN ASSUME THAT THE 40-PERCENT'S THERE, BUT MR. WALDNER ISN'T SEEING ALL THE OTHER PROJECTS WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH. THE SEWAGE TREATMENT IS A SIGNIFICANT DOLLAR AMOUNT FOR THE TAXPAYERS OF THE REGION."

SOME DIRECTORS ARE WORRIED ABOUT THE PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP MODEL MANDATED BY THE PROVINCE, BUT WALDNER SAYS A SOLUTION IS THERE TO BE FOUND.

"I'M VERY CONFIDENT THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO WORK WITH C.R.D. TO FIND A MUTUALLY ACCEPTABLE SITUATION HERE," SAYS WALDNER. "I KNOW THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF IDEOLOGY GETTING IN THE WAY HERE AROUND P-3'S, BUT THIS IS GOVERNMENT POLICY.

"THE C.R.D. CAN OPT TO JUST PAY 40-PERCENT OF THE TRADITIONAL BUILD COST TO VIHA, AND LEAVE VIHA WITH THE RISK OF THE P-3. AND THAT WOULD BE FINE."

ONE DIRECTOR, VICTORIA COUNCILLOR DEAN FORTIN, ASKED IF THE HOSPITAL WOULD PROCEED WITHOUT ANY C.R.D. MONEY -- TO WHICH WALDNER SAYS THE CONCEPT WOULD HAVE TO BE REVISITED.

THE DIRECTORS HAVE REFERRED THE MATTER TO THE C.R.D. PLANNING COMMITTEE FOR ANALYSIS.

- IRELAND

[concorde]

I have a copy of the P3 prequalification and they are calling for a 10 storey tower totalling 320,000sf. Thought this might be helpful.

I am guessing that either PCL, Van Bots or Ledcor will be the design/build contractor. No one locally has the financial or bonding capacity to take on a job this large.

[Mike K.]

EllisDon as well, perhaps? They're moving into town to build Radius so they may want to extend their reach by bidding on this project.

[FunkyMunky]

Today they pushed down the Bay Pavillion on the corner of Bay Street and Richmond Avenue. At 1 p.m. when I drove by, they were half way through the task.

I didn't get any new photos of the progress as I didn't have my camera with me and I was on my way to a meeting. I took these two pictures back on the 28th of April before I knew the building was schedule for demolition.

[Galvanized]

C-R-D'S TOUGH QUESTIONS PLEASE LOCAL M-L-A

Jul 27, 2007

THE VICTORIA-HILLSIDE M-L-A IS APPLAUDING THE CAPITAL REGIONAL DISTRICT FOR ASKING TOUGH QUESTIONS BEFORE FUNDING A NEW ROYAL JUBILEE HOSPITAL PATIENT TOWER.

N-D-P MEMBER ROB FLEMING SAYS ISSUES SURROUNDING PUBLIC-PRIVATE-PARTNERSHIPS AND THE NUMBER OF BEDS ALL NEED TO BE EXAMINED.

“THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A 600 BED FACILITY; WE’RE NOW LOOKING AT 475-TO-500 BEDS. THIS IS ONE OF THE WAYS [P-3’S] MANAGE COSTS, THEY END UP UNDER-BUILDING FACILITIES OR THEY CUT CORNERS AND YOU DO LOOSE CONTROL… AND THE TAX PAYER, IN THE END, IS LEFT ON THE HOOK WITH COST OVERRUNS, OR IS LEFT WITH A FACILITY THAT IS NOT WHAT IT SHOULD BE.”

EARLIER THIS WEEK MEMBERS OF THE C-R-D PLANNING COMMITTEE TURNED DOWN A REQUEST TO FUND 40% OF THE PROJECT, SAYING THEY HAVEN’T RECEIVED SATISFACTORY ANSWERS TO THEIR QUESTIONS.

THE VANCOUVER ISLAND HEALTH AUTHORITY IS FOOTING THE REST OF THE BILL.

- RYAN PRICE CFAX 1070

Cough, Save On Foods Memorial Centre, Cough.

[aastra]

...OR THEY CUT CORNERS AND YOU DO LOOSE CONTROL

The loose/lose mistake always jumps out at me.

[Holden West]

Royal Jubilee building has to go, MDs say
1920s-era hospital is said to be falling apart

"The current building meets the need of the 1950s, but not for today," said Dr. Alan Meakes, executive director of high-intensity and rehabilitation services for Vancouver Island Health Authority and a practising critical-care specialist. "The 100-year-old building looks nice on the outside, as long as you don't touch it. Inside, it's crumbling."

The new building will replace 400 beds in the obsolete edifice, which was built in the 1920s and '30s.

The hospital is almost impossible to keep clean because it's so old, and that has resulted in high infection rates, said Dr. Dorothy Williams, a specialist in geriatrics and internal medicine.

Carol Pickup, former chairwoman of CRD health and a long-time Saanich councillor, said that no one is questioning the need for the new facility.

"The issue is that [the provincial government is] pushing it down the throats of the CRD," she said, in regards to the P3 funding structure. "This is another scam by the government.The CRD has every right to question this. There's a lot of questions to be asked."

[aastra]

So this new building at Bay/Richmond would actually replace the old building on the southeast side?

What would go in the space where the old building was??

[Saanich Panhandler]

The plan is that all beds will be moved into the new building including those in EMP. With the construction happening on a current parking lot that means parking will be displaced. In order to compensate they will be demolishing all the little buildings including the ambulance station on the south east portion of the campus but it still won't replace all the parking so once the new building is completed then the south and east blocks will become a parking lot. The Richmond Pavilion is slated for demolition at that point too. EMP will have a major reno including a major amount of asbestos removal and will become an outpatient facility if funding is approved. Currently there is no official master plan for the RJH site which VIHA is working to rectify.

[aastra]

...so once the new building is completed then the south and east blocks will become a parking lot.

Exactly what I feared. They're building a suburban hospital in the heart of the city. The ongoing redevelopment of the Jubilee has played out like a condensed version of everything that's wrong re: development and attitudes toward development in Victoria. Fatscrapers, ugly architecture, mockery and betrayal of established styles and character, in-your-face parking lots & loading docks...

The only thing they've managed to get almost right is the parkade.

[Galvanized]

...so once the new building is completed then the south and east blocks will become a parking lot.

I'll bet that is where the next 500 bed facility will go in 20 years.

Exactly what I feared. They're building a suburban hospital in the heart of the city. The ongoing redevelopment of the Jubilee has played out like a condensed version of everything that's wrong re: development and attitudes toward development in Victoria. Fatscrapers, ugly architecture, mockery and betrayal of established styles and character, in-your-face parking lots & loading docks...

The only thing they've managed to get almost right is the parkade.

I totally agree and you're right about the parkade and I have to say the Cancer Centre isn't half bad either.

[concorde]

I noticed they have a tender out to demo the Denman Pavillion which is the building immediately to the south of the building they just finished demolishing. I also see they have another tender to demolish 5 buildings including the ambulance station at the corner of Lee Ave and Fort St. I would expect the excavators and bulldozers will be moving in early October.

I haven't heard of any contractor short lists for the new tower. Has anyone heard anything new?

[concorde]

Final shortlisted teams were announced today. The final RFP closes on January 30th.

PROPONENT TEAM PROFILES
Four teams responded to the Request for Qualifications that closed on June 7, 2007. Due to the
significant time and effort required from each of the teams, three were selected that successfully
qualified for the opportunity to compete in the Request for Proposals stage to design, build, finance
and maintain the new patient care centre at Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria. Each of the following
teams consists of organizations that have extensive experience with similar health care public private
partnership projects both nationally and internationally. The teams have a variety of members who
represent local (B.C.-based), national and international companies.

Team: B&B Royal Jubilee
• Babcock & Brown Canada ULC;
• Parkin Architects Limited;
• CEI Architecture Planning Interiors;
• EllisDon Corporation;
• Kinetic Construction Ltd.;
• Honeywell Limited;
• ARAMARK Canada Ltd.

Team: ISL Health
• Health Care Projects Canada Ltd.;
• Innisfree Ltd.;
• Lark Group;
• Cannon Design;
• Moore Paterson Architects;
• Ledcor Design/Build (BC) Ltd.;
• Angus Consulting Management Ltd.;
• H.H. Angus & Associates Ltd.;
• Investec North America;
• Compass/Crothhall.

Team: Plenary Health
• Plenary Group;
• Deutsche Bank AG;
• PCL Constructors Westcoast Inc.;
• Jonathan Bailey Associates;
• Jensen Group;
• Johnson Controls;
• Sodexho.
-30-

[Mike K.]

Apparently the maximum zoned height for the tower is 50m, roughly the same height as the CIBC tower downtown.

[Saanich Panhandler]

The re-zoning has not been approved yet. If and when the zoning is approved the massing maybe lower than the maximum 164 ft they are seeking, it depends on which bidder VIHA chooses in the end.

[Mike K.]

My mistake, the alloted height for proposals is 50 meters, then the rezoning would take place. Thanks for the heads up.

[rchauhan]

Richard Watts, Times Colonist
Published: Friday, November 09, 2007

About 50 people, from three neighborhoods surrounding the Royal Jubilee Hospital, were at a meeting earlier this week, to hear an update on planning for the hospital reconstruction.

The Wednesday night meeting was an update on the agreed-upon requirements for the new 500-bed patient-care tower to be built on the site. The new structure is projected to cost up to $300 million and is scheduled to open in 2010. It will replace the outdated existing buildings, which are slated for demolition.

[...]

[aastra]

Also, at street level the new building must enhance the pedestrian experience.

EXCELLENT!

Light spillage, which can create an unpleasant experience for neighbours, will be minimized...

Say what? To accomplish the former I was assuming they would put lots of windows and maybe a cafe or something along the sidewalk. Now they have me worried that the "enhanced pedestrian experience" will involve tall hedges and blank walls.

[G-Man]

^ if you read the proposal they get bonus marks for landscaped setbacks. It is on the VIHA website.

[Saanich Panhandler]

The draft design requirements were developed by VIHA, Partnerships BC, the North and South Jubilee Neighbourhood Associations and the Camosun Community Association. Here is a link to the latest draft http://www.viha.ca/N...equirements.pdf There are a lot of principles that are usually championed on this forum in it. They will be re-drafted to cover issues brought up at the meeting as well as comments from the ADP.

The project has also been upgraded to LEED Gold, which should have been in the TC.