Bayside expansion to start next month

He addressed increasing concern in the community about delays on the project yesterday.

“The hold up is signing off on the final cost,” he said.

“There have been some design changes that held it up and there was some discussion that some of the costing came back a little high compared to our other facilities around the province so we went back (reviewed) on that a little bit. Right now they are just hashing out those last dollars and cents,” he said.

The estimated date of completion is still 2010, although D’Entremont could not say what month.

He said that other reasons for the delay include the project manager being ill and that a redesign of the existing facilities had to be addressed.

“Even though it’s an addition to an existing facility, we still have to renovate the existing facilities because of the size of the kitchen and the size of the laundry can’t take on another 40 beds.”

D’Entremont says that a start date in June makes sense realistically and that although no ground has been broken to date, there’s a lot of work going on behind the scenes.

“What we are calling for is a pretty high standard and we want to do it right,” he said.

Bayside Home opened in September 1975 as a home for the mentally challenged and physically disabled and was transferred from the Department of Community Services to the Department of Health in 2006.

It was then reclassified as a Level II, long-term care home.

The Municipality of Barrington (MoB) and Town of Clark’s Harbour are providing $250,000 and $30,000 respectively towards the expansion. MoB has also donated land.

Bayside Home has a staff of 40 but with the expansion, more RN’s, LPN’s, CCA’s, housekeeping and laundry staff will be required.

Premier MacDonald and Health Minister Chris d'Entremont made the expansion announcement as part of the province's Continuing Care Strategy in February 2007.

The beds are among 826 new long-term care beds to be opened across the province by 2010.