MELFORT — A business case for a new helipad at the Melfort Hospital was compelted and will be sent to the provincial health minister.
The helipad will be located at the hospital and would allow STARS air ambulances to land and take passengers. The cost for the project is estimated to be $600,000.
It was the City of Melfort that prepared the case. The city’s council voted to forward it to the minister of health at its Oct. 15 meeting.
“Before this can proceed in any way, shape, or form, it has to be approved by the minister of health,” said Rick Lang, Melfort’s mayor. “We have had meetings with the Saskatchewan Health Authority, and they’ve helped us develop a business case to present to the health ministry.”
Next step would be the approval of the process by the health minister.
“What it will do is it will allow the committee to formally announce the fundraising campaign and go and solicit monetary or in-kind donations,” Lang said. “This is a really early step in the process, having that been said, there have been a lot of work done already.”
Lang hopes for approval in November to start the fundraising campaign. Construction will not begin until the full amount is fundraised.
“If everything works perfectly construction would start in the spring, early spring and the heliport would be in use sometime fiscal next year.”
