Demolition set to begin this month at old Fergus hospital

First look at the future of rural health care From CTV Kitchener’s Max Wark: Plans for the new $127-million Groves Memorial Hospital are being finalized and shared with the public.

More than three years after Groves Memorial Community Hospital in Fergus opened the doors to its new location, details have finally been released about the demolition of the old one.

Both hospitals share the same name.

The old building, at 235 Union St., has not been in use since August 2020.

While funding from the Ministry of Health ended in March 2023, the hospital continued to maintain the Union Street property while waiting for a final decision on its future.

On Monday, the hospital announced it had received approval from the Ontario Ministry of Health to begin demolition.

DEMOLITION PROCESS

Work to decommission the old hospital began in the spring.

The hospital said fencing will go up around the Union Street property within the next month, as teams begin the first steps in the demolition. That will include the removal of walls, electrical and mechanical items, along with hazardous materials like asbestos.

The demolition is expected to take several months.

WHY CAN’T THE OLD BUILDING BE SAVED?

The hospital said staff and board members worked with the Ministry of Health and Ontario Health West to explore options for the Union Street building, but none of them were “viable.”

While it may still look good from the outside, the hospital cautions, there’s a “long list of underlying building issues.”

In order to keep the old hospital open, they would have needed to replace the sewage system, boilers, roof, and elevators. Asbestos abatement, and repairs to the electrical, HVAC, plumbing and foundation would also have been necessary.

In a media release, the hospital said it would have been costly “to meet current health care standards and codes.”

WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE SITE

No news has been shared about what’s next for the Union Street location once demolition is complete.

In Monday’s release, the hospital said “the next logical step will be to sell the property and reinvest the proceeds into the future growth and development of Centre Wellington health care services and programs.”

They also said plans are in the works to commemorate the site of the former hospital.

NEW HOSPITAL

The new Groves Memorial Community Hospital, at 131 Frederick Campbell St., officially opened in August 2020.

The building is 50 per cent bigger than the original site, has modern upgrades, more in-patient beds, private washrooms, and additional staff to handle the demands of a growing community.