The emergency department and ambulance ramp at the former Sarnia General Hospital site are expected to start coming down within weeks.
Property owner GFIVE Inc. updated Sarnia's Seaway Kiwanis club on the project during their luncheon Tuesday.
Partner Mark Lumley says abatement of the former records building is complete and awaiting zoning approval before a new tenant can move in and demolition of the nurses' residence is done.
"We're currently working on the auxiliary low part to the main building, the [power] stack in that area is already down and gone, and that will be done in the next week or so," says Lumley. "We'll be left with just the east wing, the west wing and the north wing. We're going to start on the west wing as soon as those low bits are gone and it should be within the next couple of weeks."
Lumley isn't expecting any road closures along Mitton or George streets.
"At this time, our demo contractor has indicated that he'll be able to do that all from where the old ramp was off of George," he says. "They'll be able to sit in those areas and push and as well, like they were doing on the nurses' residence, there will be lots of picking and pulling from the north in the courtyard."
Lumley expects as much as 95% of the materials taken down will be repurposed, with only 5% going to landfill.
"They do things differently now then they used to," says Lumley. "No more wrecking balls. No explosions. No big mess. They very quietly, carefully and without dust pick away at these buildings. It's not demolition anymore. It's deconstruction."
He says they're still on track to have all of the buildings down by the end of this July or August.
The group has a multi-faceted vision for the area bounded by Mitton St., Bright St., Mackenzie St. N, and Essex St.
Components include residential, commercial medical, general or community office, and possible construction of a new two-storey withdrawal management centre as proposed by Bluewater Health.
Bricks and memorabilia are being saved from each part of the former hospital with plans to build a memorial at Bluewater Health's Norman St. site in the future.