Grande Ronde Hospital project on track to be complete by late August
LA GRANDE — This digital clock is silent but ticks loudly in the minds of some.
The timepiece is a 3-foot countdown clock in a temporary modular being used by Bouten Construction Company, of Spokane, Washington, during its $72.5 million renovation and expansion project at Grande Ronde Hospital.
The clock indicates the number of days, hours, minutes and seconds that remain until Aug. 27, the day the construction company is scheduled to have the bulk of its work at the hospital complete.
“That is when Grande Ronde Hospital is scheduled to receive its certificate of occupancy,” said Tracy Johnson, senior project manager at Bouten Construction.
The countdown clock has been in place for about a month and was installed to inspire workers and managers to maintain their impressive work pace, Johnson said. Ground broke on the project in the summer of 2022 and is scheduled to be completed on schedule.
“It is a reminder that time keeps passing and that we only have a few days left,” he said.
The project the countdown clock is for involves the construction of a multi-level building with more than 90,000 square feet of space. The heart of the building will be a surgery center floor. There will also be levels for a dietary nutrition center, a loading dock and a maintenance center.
Workers are on schedule at the building site, Johnson said, because of their energy and laser-like focus and due to the mild winter experienced by the region.
“We did not have any delays due to weather,” he said.
Johnson added that the relatively mild conditions meant crews could start digging holes for infrastructure about six weeks earlier than usual this winter. Johnson noted that normally construction crews wait until spring to dig holes when they no longer have to deal with mud and the potential for creating a mess. This was not a concern this winter though.
Crews also received a big lift when a freight elevator began operating in the new building in mid-February. This is making it much easier to move equipment up and down the multi-story building.
“It is a huge benefit,” Johnson said.
Two other elevators have also been added, one for patients and another for the public. The one for patients goes up to the roof where a metal helicopter pad will be located. The helicopter pad is for patients being flown in and out of Grande Ronde Hospital.
Neither of the two elevators will be used by construction crews during the building process, which will help prevent the elevators from being damaged.
Permanent power
Crews at the worksite are now relying on electricity from a temporary power system. Spider box electricity suppliers, which cords are plugged into, are at the heart of it. Spider boxes will soon disappear for a permanent electrical power system is set to be operating on May 13.
“That will be a big milestone for us,” Johnson said.
Once the permanent system is in place, crews will begin testing electrically powered systems in the new building to make sure they are operational. These will include the structure’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.
“We want to have a balanced air flow,” Johnson said.
The installation of the permanent power system has been delayed because it has taken a long time to get switchgear panels for it. A switchgear is composed of electrical disconnect switches, fuses or circuit breakers.
Switchgear panels were ordered a year ago by Bouten. Johnson said the long delay in receiving them was anticipated since many other companies ordering them have also experienced shipping delays.
Sunset Drive, which runs in front of Grande Ronde Hospital, has been closed since the start of the project between H and K avenues and will remain so until the end of the work, Johnson said. It will reopen after the project is completed and Sunset Drive is repaved. The road work will be done to repair the damage caused during construction work.
