More road work, related to the construction of the new Mills Memorial Hospital, is coming down the pipe.

Last month, upgrades were made to the storm and water system under Haugland Avenue west of the hospital’s main entrance towards Eby Street.

In addition, a secondary water main, under Tetrault Street needs to be installed. This should take about three days during which a section of Tetrault Avenue near Keith Avenue, will be closed.

Residents will still be able to access the businesses on the corner of Keith and Tetrault. However, drivers won’t be able to drive through Tetrault from Keith Avenue, or onto Keith Avenue.

The work on Tetrault work should begin Saturday, August 28, and will take approximately 3 days.

Similar to when upgrades were made under Haugland Avenue, a section of Tetrault, after the initial upgrades are made, will remain a gravel surface. That section will be paved after the contractor can do the final connection to the water main based on approved tie in procedures.

PCL is working closely with the City of Terrace and its permitting approval process while planning and completing this work. Plans are in place to mitigate neighbourhood and community impacts including managing dust and traffic disruptions.

Water system upgrades on Haugland avenue are almost complete.

Paving the section of Haugland Avenue near Eby.

Workers, strapped in for safety, wait for the jib to be lifted into place.

Mobile crane lifts jib into the correct position of the tower crane's mast.

Workers place the jib.

The draft Mills Memorial Hospital site plan is now available!

Some highlights:

• Hospital will be located on the north end of the current site, near the Sande Overpass
• New location of Seven Sisters facility will be on the southwest end, near Haugland Avenue
• Main entrance of the hospital, as well as the emergency entrance, face Tetrault Street
• Approximately 300 parking spots will at the new site
• Landscaping plans include several gardens

Information about the project, including this draft site layout is now posted on a bulletin board in the hallway near the front entrance of the hospital. Information on the board will be updated throughout the project.

In addition, a more in-depth display is being planned for in the community and at the hospital. Community members will have the chance to review designs, ask questions, and give feedback. Stay tuned! Dates to be announced soon.

Please note, design is ongoing and all plans are subject to change.

Download the draft site plan here.

Many residents and businesses have been asking about employment and contract opportunities related to the Mills Memorial Hospital project. PCL Westcoast Constructors Inc (PCL) is responsible for all employment and contracting related to the construction of the new hospital.

Employment

Anyone interested in working on the project can submit a resume to PCL through https://careers.pcl.com/ca/en

PCL, through their subcontractors has, and will continue to, advertise employment opportunities on and in various platforms such as Linkedin, Kijiji, and regional newspapers.

The project is dedicated to employing as many locals as possible and has already hired a number of local equipment operators, tradesmen and labourers. They have also been reaching out to local and regional First Nations, to meet with employment and training departments, as well as the trades department at the college.

Contracts

Since before construction began, PCL has been reaching out to local and regional companies to explore the possibility of working together.

Throughout the project, PCL will share contract opportunities as they come up - for example, by advertising in the regional newspaper, or contacting potential local and regional suppliers directly.

Businesses interested in working on the Mills Memorial Project site are encouraged to contact PCL with information about services they could offer. Email PCL at 2220057millsmemorial@pcl.com

Still not sure what to do?

Email letstalkMMH@northernhealth.ca and we’ll put you in the right direction.

During the planning stages, new health care facilities are assigned and funded for a set of number of beds. This number, and the types of beds, are based on a many factors including population and health care need projections.

The new Mills Memorial facility will be more than twice the size of the current facility. And the number of beds is also set to almost double, going from 44 to 78.

The reality of a hospital though, including Mills Memorial, is that regardless of the official number of beds, if a patient needs care, they will receive care. Also, while the beds at the new Mills Memorial hospital are dedicated to particular types of care and services, if no one requires that care or service at the time, the beds will be used for the care that current patients require; the beds are not necessarily only used for the type of care they are dedicated to.

Another common misconception is that the beds dedicated to the same service are located in a particular section of the hospital, such as a ward. In the new hospital, however, every room will be private with a private bathroom, which will improve patient care and experience. Also, every room will be able to accommodate all types and levels of care - though some rooms are dedicated, and therefore, more suited to particular forms of care or services.

The official breakdown of beds, old vs new, at MMH is:

• 25 to 41 medical/surgical beds
• 3 to 5 maternity/gynecology beds
• 3 to 4 labour room beds
• 3 to 8 intensive care unit beds
• 10 to 20 psychiatric unit beds

The emergency department will also increase from 10 beds to 20.

The number of beds at Seven Sisters will also increase from 20 to 25 beds.

The tower cranes at the MMH construction site can be seen throughout the community.

It’s a bird. It’s a plane. No. It’s two tower cranes!

In the next couple weeks, two 160-foot tower cranes will be erected at the Mills Memorial Hospital site and remain on site – and in the Terrace skyline – for approximately 18 months. To put the height of the cranes into perspective, 160 feet is approximately 50 metres, which is the length of three and half semitrailers in a row.

Tower cranes are made up of a vertical tower (the mast) and an outstretched jib (the working arm). They are used on major construction sites to lift and move heavy equipment and materials.

It will take about four days to assemble and erect the two cranes, which will be permanently attached to concrete bases, which were built over the last month in anticipation of the cranes’ arrival.

The mobile crane, which has been on site for several weeks, will be used to assist in the set up of the tower cranes.

All the cranes will only work within the perimeter of the construction site. The tower cranes will be located in what will be the interior of the new building and the jibs won’t be able to reach outside of the property limits.Start of tower crane erection on August 4, 2021.

The Mills Memorial Hospital Replacement project is progressing smoothly. Two major activities on the go right now include upgrades to the storm and water system on Haugland Avenue, near Eby Street and a large concrete pour with two pumps working on site today, Monday, July 26.

Double pumping concrete action.

Last week, some of the PCL crew who are in town building the new hospital, joined members of the Terrace Beautification Society, along with local high-school students, to help clean up around Market Estates, a seniors housing complex on Davis Avenue in Terrace. The three PCL employees spent some time pulling weeds and chatting with locals.

The Mills Memorial Hospital project will take approximately four years to complete and PCL is keen to get know and be involved in the community during their time here.

Read the Terrace Standard article about the youth volunteering that night along with the PCL employees.

Lots of weeds to pick.

Working hard.

A well deserved break.

Lots of great volunteers.

Heads up there will be more construction traffic than usual on Monday, July 26. Up to 80 trucks will be hauling concrete onto the Mills Memorial construction site, using the site's Tetrault entrance and exit. The trucks will be supplying concrete to two pumps pouring a large supporting concrete slab for parts of the new hospital.

The section of Haugland Avenue, between Eby Street and the nearest hospital entrance (see photo for exact location), will be closed for approximately two weeks starting this Saturday, July 24, as storm and water drainage systems are upgraded as part of the construction of a new Hospital.

Only pedestrians and local residents with private driveways on the north side of Haugland will be able to access the area while work is underway. The area will be closed to drivers and cyclists from the general public.

We suggest anyone driving to and from the hospital, use Tetrault Street.

Please follow all signage and obey traffic personnel if you are in the area.

For more information about the upgrades, go to:

https://letstalk.northernhealth.ca/mills-memorial-hospital-replacement/news_feed/haugland-closure