COMMUNITY concern has not encouraged Health infrastructure (HI) to be more precise about when the main works for the $79.8 million stage one and two redevelopment of Dubbo Hospital will begin.
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A long-time Dubbo resident known to the Daily Liberal burst through its doors this week with a photograph of the redevelopment site and an allegation that work had halted.
Yesterday HI provided a list of activities currently taking place as part of the redevelopment early works, previously earmarked for completion in late 2013.
An online timeline of project milestones continues to be altered.
The scheduled on-site start to the main works in "early 2014" has been changed to the first quarter of this year.
Completion of the main works was to have been in "Q2 2015" with the redeveloped hospital operational the following quarter.
Yesterday the timeline reported that an acute services building would be completed in the fourth quarter of 2015.
Refurbishment of "decanted areas" would be "next".
HI, which manages capital works of more than $10 million on behalf of the NSW Ministry of Health, is yet to announce the successful tenderer for the main works despite the process getting underway in June 2013.
A HI spokesperson yesterday said: "The tender for mains works is currently being assessed, with the main clinical building scheduled for completion late 2015".
The spokesperson would not identify the month when the main works would begin.
The state government is providing $72.7 million and the federal government $7.1 million for stage one and two redevelopment that will boost maternity and surgical services.
"Late 2014" was declared the completion date of the hospital's stage one and two redevelopment when it was first announced.
Project hurdles have included the financial collapse in April 2013 of early works construction management contractor National Buildplan Group.
Late last year the state government committed $600,000 to "progress planning for the next stages of the Dubbo Hospital redevelopment".
