INSIDE: Chamber Week shows why membership has its perks Pg. 19 T U E S D A Y
February 22, 2011
12 N E W S ,
SPORTS,
WEATHER
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Bruin goaltenders see more rubber than Goodyear
E N T E R T A I N M E N T chilliwacktimes.com
CSS late but not behind School project won’t be done until 2013 BY CORNELIA NAYLOR cnaylor@ chilliwacktimes.com
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ter, but they’re easier to find and more efficiently laid out. That will allow doctors and nurses to treat patients quicker, according to intensive care unit manager Barb Blanchette. For instance, the renovations have already halved the time between taking a blood sample and having a report ready, said Blanchette. According to those present, the money invested has resulted in a much friendlier facility.
he new Chilliwack secondary school won’t be ready to open its doors in September 2012 as originally planned. Although the project’s official completion date has yet to be made public, superintendent Corrine McCabe said it’s likely work on the new 1,200-student high school won’t be finished until January 2013. Despite the delay, McCabe said the project isn’t behind schedule. “Is it behind? Well, no because there’s never been an official date,” she said. “We got three projects from the ministry and funding over five years, so we will be within that timeline.” The district had hoped to throw open the doors on the new CSS in the fall of 2012, but finding the right design and builder has taken longer than expected. According to an estimated schedule laid out in the project’s request for qualifications, district officials had hoped to award the CSS contract by September 2010, but it took until last week to finalize their choice of a design-build team (Graham Design Builders, a JV). “It took longer than expected because it was a very complex project, and there were some a d d i t i o n a l c h a l l e n g e s,” s a i d McCabe. One challenge was the awkward, pie-shaped site itself, which has
See CGH, Page 11
See SCHOOL, Page 23
Tyler Olsen/TIMES
Chilliwack General Hospital intensive care unit manager Barb Blanchette shows a parade of dignitaries through the halls of the redeveloped CGH Friday.
Reason to celebrate at CGH BY TYLER OLSEN tolsen@chilliwacktimes.com
$35 million expansion complete
he first hospital in Chilliwack was built 100 years ago, in 1911, for $10,000. It had 12 beds and served a population of around 2,000. What a difference a century makes. On Friday, politicians, health care officials, fundraisers and curious onlookers filed through the halls of Chilliwack General Hospital to see what $35 million can buy in 2011. The answer: quite a lot. The project—of which a previously unveiled emergency room is just one
major component—was completed on budget, and on time, according to John Smith, the acting chair of the Fraser Valley Regional Hospital Board. The improvements include a new modern laboratory, the emergency room, and renovations to several departments, including ambulatory care, the cardiopulmonary clinic, the medical daycare, a new education room and the Chilliwack Bruinssponsored pediatric care unit. Those departments aren’t only bet-
T Tyler Olsen/TIMES
A piece of Sto:lo art on display at Chilliwack General.
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