The new addition to the Kootenay Lake Hospital has been delayed yet again after deficiencies have been found in the flooring.
Initially anticipated for completion in November of last year, this most recent delay is expected to push the opening day into the fall.
Ingrid Hampf, acute area director for the Interior Health Authority (IHA) said that some of the issues with the flooring became apparent months ago.
“In January we were starting to notice that there were a few deficiencies in the floor… it’s now become apparent that the little issues are actually significant issues with the flooring and hence we are going to have the contractor remove and replace it,” said Hampf.
As the flooring issues became more pronounced Hampf said that experts were brought it to test the moisture content in the concrete.
“We think that the issue between the water-based adhesive that’s used to glue the floor, that there was too much moisture in the he concrete under the flooring… it’s lifting and bubbling,” she said.
The effected area is in the hallway of the diagnostic imaging area as well as in the emergency department.
Hampf said that the IHA has worked with this contractor, Yellowridge Construction based in the lower mainland, with no issue in the past.
“We want to ensure that when we finally move in and are open to public that we have the kind of department that we’re proud of and aren’t constantly repairing… We’re just working through it and making sure we don’t accept a product that’s not as good as we want,” said Hampf.
While the project has already been delayed six months, Hampf said that the IHA is focusing on using contingencies built into their budget to fund the ongoing construction of the project. Despite the enormous delay in the project, Hampf says “there’s been no additional money required.”
“Our primary issue is using our contingencies to ensure that we complete the project in a timely fashion, and then work with the contractor to resolve any of those concerns,” she said.
“We do understand it’s a bit disappointing to the community, the staff, the foundation, our donors… but we want to make sure that when we take possession and move in that we have a quality product.”