The Vanguard reported that construction is expected to start this summer.

The project has been fraught with delays.  Published reports say a tender was called in 2009 for what would have been a 22-bed expansion.  However, the lowest tender proved to be more than $2 million over budget.  The province suggested that Nakile plan for a smaller, 12-bed expansion instead.

Bertha Brannen, Nakile’s administrator, contracted the Vanguard newsroom on Thursday morning, May 30, to share the news of the tender. For Brannen, years of disbelief that this project would ever go ahead have now been replaced with relief and excitement.

“It’s just been such a long journey of disappointments back and forth, but it is a day to celebrate for us,” she said.

It has taken a lot of work and patience to reach this stage.

In 2009 a tender was first called for the project, which back then was to have been a 22-bed expansion. But the expansion stalled when the lowest tender submitted exceeded the budgeted amount by over $2 million. The province said it would not make up the gap in funding needed for the project to move forward and asked Nakile to consider a 12-bed expansion instead.

Yet, the reports say, even the 12-bed expansion proved too expensive, mostly because of infrastructure challenges for sewer and water services.

Last year the project had to go back to the drawing board when the design for 12 beds still came in over budget, mostly due to issues involving infrastructure like sewer and water.

Nakile’s administrator Bertha Brannen is quoted as saying that a new project manager, MHPM, created a new design-build approach for the project to bring the costs in line with the budget. “While the design still meets all of the required codes and regulations, it doesn’t include all of the bells and whistles that an architect may want,” a published report said.