The location of the region's proposed new mega-hospital has been narrowed down to five properties or less.
The subcommittee responsible for recommending the site is now intensely analyzing a handful of properties for things like soil samples and cost.
Windsor Regional Hospital CEO David Musyj says once the site is selected there is still a lot of work ahead. "We get down to the detailed design of the actual hospital and that's when the real work begins and we roll up our sleeves," says Musyj. "That's when we actually have a project. It's not a matter of if we have a project at that point, it's just a matter of when."
Musyj says the community needs to get behind the new hospital, even if they may not be pleased with its location. "Someone is going to be happy, someone is not going to be happy when it's ultimately selected. What we can't have is the unhappiness rule the day," says Musyj. "What could happen is we could lose the project altogether and there could be a new hospital announced in Toronto or Ottawa that members of Windsor-Essex are going to pay for."
Few details will ever be released about the proposed locations, but Musyj confirms the mayor sent out a letter indicating Windsor airport will not be the site.
If all goes well, the mega-hospital location could be announced by the summer. Musyj predicts a shovel may be in the ground as early as three years and it could be complete by 2024.
