Cariboo Chilcotin Regional Hospital District (CCRHD) chair John Massier says a couple of items of financial importance to area residents have arisen.
The first is funding has come through from Interior Health that will allow Cariboo Memorial Hospital plans to move forward into further design stages.
“We are pleased at this point, as we feel that we finally see some movement toward the needed renovations at the hospital in-patient [ward].”
The funding confirmation came in the form of a letter from IH, he explains, asking the CCRHD to submit its own 40 per cent portion of project funding for 2013/14.
“That is the way we normally fund these capital projects, is a 60-40 split. So they are actually putting up $360,000 of their own money, and they are asking for $240,000 from us to make $600,000 total.”
The board unanimously approved a motion in late April for staff to prepare a bylaw to release the funds for processing at its May 28 meeting.
“It’s going to mean the next [design] stage is moving along at the hospital, and it’s going to be a lot firmer costing.”
The funding will initiate the project’s Concept Plan, a comprehensive summary of the capital and operating requirements specific to the scope of the project, to be submitted to the Ministry of Health in the spring of 2014.
This will include a functional program details, process and physical space design, site assessment, equipment list, staffing, project schedule, budget and funding structures and other aspects.
A PowerPoint presentation on the Concept Plan is available for download online at www.cariboord.bc.ca on the May 10 CCCRHD agenda, item 5.5.
Now, Massier says the board and IH will engage in stakeholder consultations with the CCRHD, the City of Williams Lake, and local physicians, staff and administration, as well as with patient representatives and Partnerships BC (which aids in the planning, delivery and oversight of major infrastructure projects).
“We’re happy to see the planning process is moving on and the plan is to collect the information through the summer and fall from all the stakeholder groups, and then for the concept plan to be prepared.”
The other update from Massier relates to the money owed by both the CCRHD and its predecessor, the Cariboo Regional Hospital District (CRHD), which won’t expire until all its debts do sometime down the road.
“We have an opportunity on Aug. 23 of this year to pay off an old debt from the CRHD … which is about $322,000. It will save us $48,000 in interest over the next five years, [had] we carried that through to the full term.”
Then, another bigger debt will have a window open to pay it off in December 2014, he adds, when that one comes up for renewal.
“We have an opportunity to pay off a $1.4-million debt of the CCRHD, and by paying that debt off early, we are saving $210,000.”
The board has decided it has sufficient cash reserves to extinguish both of these debts and save that interest money, Massier explains.
“I think it is a wise use of taxpayers dollars.”
