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The Huron Expositor, 1989-11-22, Page 22Page 3 SEAFORTH COMMUNITY HOSPITAL under construction. 1988-8g ea ort • Shortly after World War I. local 'doe - tors felt there was a great need for i, hospital, as nursing help in the homes was becoming hard to procure Recognizing this need. Alex A. McLen- nan sold the Commercial Hotel m 192 purchased a large home and opener', 'the Seaforth Memorial Hospital in • Victoria Street. This hospital serves' Seaforth and district' for several years and Margaret. • Wilson we. the superintendent A $40.000 bequest fromt he scot' brothers. William and Matthea, fo the purpose of establishing a hospita' in or near Seaforth, led to the openinf. of the Scott Memorial Hospital it 1927, the Hospital Board purchased the former D.D. Wilson home on James Street from 'W.E, Southgate and com- menced alternations ° and im• provements on the building to convert it into a hospital. The official openme of Scott Memorial Hospital took place on October 22, 1929, Miss Wilson was also the superintendent. here from 192', to July 1945. Accommodation however. became limited in the 1940s and at the war's end patients were m the halls and every departent was crowded for space. After many meetings and .con• sidermg many proposals, one of the former Port Albert RCAF buildings was purchased and tits formed the basis of the west wing of the Jame: Street hospital. At the same time the main hospital building was renovated and changes carried out to reflect the standards of that time. The enlarged facilities were opened, on June 30, 1948 By the late 1950s it became apparel; that additional changes tparticular0 in the operating, x-ray and kitchen departments in the original builduig were badly needed hosp:Eta F Architects Heider and Hyman of Kitchenr were called in to consider changes and perhaps a new wing Hospital, by this time, had become the responsihility of the OntarioHospitai Service Commission and the chairman I.'. J.B. Nielson, met with the -boars ant: carefully inspected the entu•e hospital., considering the changes for which the board was, seeking approval While there was some hesitancy with regard to the vein substantial cost that would be involved, it was not many maweeks until the board was 'm unanimous agrement that there was no alternative to a new building. In July 1964 a.contract was granted to McDougall Construction of London 4- years for $800.000 the !owes; of sever. tenders. A sod turning ceremon} , at• tended 'b} OHS( chatrmar Dr Nielson, was held on July 17 and se; the building program in motion Despite man problems. including contractor financial- difftculttres delays m arrangements for mumcipa. services and a strike which stopper work for some weeks, the work mov- ed forward anc a cornerstone ceremony took place on December 20, 1964. The first patients were moved in or, September 1. 1965 with the entire transfer completed within a couple of days Details for the transfer were turn to page 24 Expansion improves . facilities Representatives of the provincial and federa. government. and the local hospital.. turned the first sod for the renovation and addition project for the Seaforth Comrnunitr Hospital on Oc- tober 29. 1988 The Waterloo firm of Mellou!-Blame} Construction was awarded the contract The project. which provided for e 10,900 foot addition to the north side of the hospital, accommodates a new and enlarged out patients and emergency department, an enlarged physiotherapy department and increased x-ray and laboraton accommodations All plans for the project had received official ap- proval from the Mirustry of Health The total project cost in excess of $2 million with ministry funding covering two-thirds of that cost. The remaining money was„raised •through various fun- draisuig efforts by°the hospital and the community. A door-to-door. canvass was held in .the early spring of 1989 An addition to the east side of the hospital. provides accommodation for enlarged heating, mechanical and elec• trical services required by the addition. and cost approximately $700,000 to com- plete. The old system has since been. updated, the patient area of the hospital serviced with air conditioning. and a central computer to monitor the heating of the hospital installed Prior to the addition, a neµ and up- dated fire alarm system was installed in the existing hospita; Further down the road, the hospital may consider expansion to the interior of the hospital, the addition of a sundeck, and closing in. of the, current patio in order that the cafeteria may be extended.