EllisDon officially turned over the keys to the new patient tower at Brockville General Hospital on August 11.

BGH president and CEO Nick Vlacholias accepted the keys to the $131.2-million building from EllisDon construction manager Mike Armstrong.

“This is a major milestone,” said Vlacholias. “Thanks to the hard work by EllisDon and our BGH project team, we have reached substantial completion, which means the new tower is ready for occupancy. Thank you to EllisDon for their incredible support and service towards our hospital and community over the past two years.”

“The next phase is to furnish the new tower with all new equipment and begin the training for our staff and physicians to ensure that we continue to deliver the safe, high-quality care that our community expects of us,” said Vlacholias.

Construction at the BGH Charles Street site began in March of 2018, and involved the construction of a 175,000-square foot addition and 20,000-square foot renovation. The project, which aims to achieve LEED silver certification, brings all the programs and services from BGH's various campuses under a single roof. It will also ensure that area residents will benefit from additional beds in the complex continuing care, palliative care, and rehabilitation, and acute mental health and addictions programs.

Some construction will continue to end of September, after which EllisDon will have completed the project.

It is estimated that as many as 250 workers were on site daily at the peak of construction.