A new facility is in the works for Halifax’s first free-standing palliative care home after consultation with the public and engineers showed that it would cost too much to renovate two existing heritage buildings.
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When the not-for-profit organization Hospice Halifax announced plans for the home in 2015, it said it would renovate two buildings it had secured on Francklyn Street on the campus of the Atlantic School of Theology (AST).
Hospice Halifax CEO Wendy Fraser said Tuesday the two buildings at 618 and 620 Francklyn St. were “not structurally sound enough” to only renovate.
She said to renovate, the roof and foundation would have to be removed and the interior gutted, resulting in higher costs. It could have taken a minimum of three months extra for construction and about $500,000 more.
“Somewhat sadly, because I think we all feel a sense of connection to these old houses, we made the choice to build new,” Fraser said. “But the kind of good part of that is it will allow us to really have the most kind of up-to-date hospice house.”
The overall cost for the two-storey, 10-bed facility is estimated at about $6 million, with approximately $4.2 million for construction. Equipment costs and project fees, Fraser said, are also included in the total cost.
Even with changes to the building plan, the facility will still provide 24-hour medical support, grief counselling and family accommodation at no cost to residents. There will also be a “centre of learning.” Fraser said medical professionals and counselling students will be able to receive training.
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By building a new facility, each hospice room will be bigger than they would have, had the two buildings been renovated. The facility will be about 13,000 square feet.
“We’re quite tight in the space so we want to make sure that we’re offering the residents the best rooms possible,” Fraser said. “We want to know that family members can stay overnight and that the room’s big enough to accommodate that.”
Parking will also be available alongside the building, along with use of some AST parking, about 20 reserved spots.
Keeping the heritage
Though a new facility is being built, Fraser said the hope is to “bring the history along with us” by keeping some of the materials and pieces from the building, such as a wooden door with etched glass and panels, hearths around the fireplaces, and old windows.
She said they found through public consultation, including a meeting held Monday evening, that there are mixed feelings over losing the historic buildings but understanding why a rebuild is needed.
“I recognize that this is going to be sad for people, we also love the idea of these heritage buildings but I think what we found … was that the neighbours understand the buildings have been fairly derelict for a period of time and I think the idea of having something new and beautiful that fits within the neighbourhood was really well received,” Fraser said.
A news release by Hospice Halifax Tuesday said they also plan to work with local organizations to reuse timber from the old buildings.
Funding
Last May, the Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) also announced it would collaborate with Hospice Halifax. Fraser said this will continue, with the NSHA funding 50 per cent of operational costs once the hospice is opened.
READ MORE: Health authority signs deal to build hospice
Primary funding for the construction is planned to come from a capital campaign, with a goal of about $6 million, though the price point could change when the campaign is officially launched.
Some money has already been donated to the hospice.
Fraser said they are hoping to open in early 2018, but it could partly depend on how much money is raised during the campaign.
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