DEMOLITION crews knocked down the 69year-old annex at Lions Gate Hospital Tuesday, clearing way for a new mental health facility.
Dubbed the HOpe Centre, the new $62-million building will replace the dilapidated Activation building as the home of mental health services.
Judy Savage, president of the Lions Gate Hospital Foundation, said the demolition was a major milestone after months of fundraising for the project.
"It's a great way to start the new year," she said. "It was significant for so many people who were there to see that the project was actually starting, because we've talked about it for so many years, and we've seen the need for so long."
The foundation has raised $24.4 million out of a final goal of $25 million, with the remaining $37-million cost to be borne by the province.
The four-storey building will house 26 inpatient rooms, each with its own bathroom, along with nine ambulance bays and space to teach 100 medical students and residents each month.
Site clearing will continue until the summer, when construction will begin. The new centre is expected to be finished by the end of 2013.
