It took five years but work is finally beginning on the next stage of the new acute care hospital near Windsor Airport, even though the land deal isn't finalized yet.
The move comes immediately after the province announced funding for the hospital in Thursday's budget.
Windsor Regional Hospital CEO David Musyj announced Friday that Stage 2 includes detailing programs, services, staffing, space and equipment and it's the primary document for the building design.
"You put words around each program and then you take those words and you go to the next stage, which is the design stage and the architects and the designers then design around those words and design the facility," says Musyj.
Musyj says the next two stages should take three to four years to complete and cost about $30-million to $40-million.
The new hospital should be built in seven to ten years.
He says the next stage is going to be ten times tougher than Stage 1 and adds location is everything.
"If you're building on five acres versus ten acres. Irregular lot versus square lot, that changes everything as you start to work through the process," Musyj says.
Musyj told a large crowd gathered for the announcement at Windsor Regional Hospital today that "we're designing the future and creating an imprint."
He also encouraged everybody to work together to "get 'er done" and thanked the community for its support.