Geo-technical surveys and soil sampling is expected to begin this week at the site of Bluewater Health's future helipad.
Communications Chief Julia Oosterman said the public will see crews doing work on the running track, east of the Norman Street site.
"We're actually not planning for the helipad to be open for almost a year, but the very early stages is to do some investigative construction work, things like soil samples," said Oosterman. "It's not going to look like much, but it will be a bit of a disruption on the track so we want to make sure that people are aware that this is planned and part of the overall go ahead."
Public use of the track will end this fall, but runners will be invited to compete at the new state-of-the-art, eight-lane track being built at Great Lakes Secondary School.
"There is actually a track meet coming up at the end of August, so we're going to make sure that everything is up and ready for those athletes to enjoy probably their last track meet at that site. It is land actually that's owned by Bluewater Health and we've let the track club enjoy it and we're so proud of the history there."
Oosterman said construction of the helipad is expected to start early next year, and it's hoped to be complete and operational by the end of May.
"While we don't anticipate large backhoes until next spring, there's always a possibility depending on what these studies show us. Of course we will be keeping the community up to date and alerted to any changes of our anticipated time frame, which is the spring of 2022."
Lambton County Council approved funding of up to 50 per cent of the capital cost in its 2021 budget.
Oosterman said the Bluewater Health Foundation is seeking to raise the remaining $400,000 needed.
Chief of Staff Dr. Mike Haddad said almost 400 people were transferred to hospitals providing specialized care during the 2019/ 2020 fiscal year.
"In emergency medicine, speed can mean the difference between good outcomes and bad, and even life or death," said Haddad. "An on-site helipad provides fast access to Ontario's top trauma centres, burn centres and neonatal intensive care units."
The hospital purchased the property from the St. Clair Catholic District School Board in 2016 following the closure of the former St. Patrick's High School.
Bluewater Health hospital in Sarnia. 9 September 2020. (BlackburnNews.com photo by Colin Gowdy)