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Ronald McDonald House construction to begin soon

Construction on the 11-suite Ronald McDonald House Central Alberta is set to begin by the end of this month on a hilly site southeast of Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre.

Construction on the 11-suite Ronald McDonald House Central Alberta is set to begin by the end of this month on a hilly site southeast of Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre.

Lyn Radford, involved with capital campaign project, said the site at 3908 Gaetz Ave. is about to get busier, with construction fencing to go up by the end of this week. A sign, showing fundraising targets, will be staked in the ground next week.

“We’re hoping we’ll see construction within the next month,” Radford said.

“The contractor Timcon Construction has indicated to us that we’re well within scope and we should still open in June 2011.”

This Ronald McDonald House is the first new one to be built in Canada in more than two decades.

The three-storey house will provide low-cost accommodations for Central Alberta families with critically ill babies, sick children and high-risk pregnancies being treated at the hospital. An estimated 400 families are expected to stay at the house each year.

Timcon Construction of Red Deer recently issued tenders for subtrades and supplier bids for the $12-million project. The successful bids will be notified in the next couple of weeks, Radford said.

“There have been some price increases since our original estimate, so we’ve had to change our scope a little bit and modify our plans a little bit,” said Radford. “We’re very adamant we stick within our budget.”

Just under $10 million has been raised, which Radford said is good because fundraisers wanted to raise $8 million at least before construction began.

Radford said there won’t be radical changes, like fewer rooms, but instead perhaps not using a certain kind of building material.

Organizers had targeted March 31 as a breaking ground date.

“We had some challenges around the storm water,” said Radford.

The land has a couple of different slopes, so it’s important to ensure that any stormwater runoff doesn’t damage public or private areas, Radford said.

Studies have been done. Ronald McDonald House Central Alberta organizers have been working with City of Red Deer staff to come up with a solution.

“We’re asking people for their patience,” Radford added. “We want to resolve all these little issues before we go to construction, so it doesn’t cost us in the long run.”

Radford applauded those who have donated to the cause. The majority of donations hail from the region, but others have come from companies based in Edmonton, Calgary and nationally.

“We still have $2 million to go,” Radford said.

ltester@www.reddeeradvocate.com