Health unit costs a concern for some

By Katy Burley

Medical Officer of Health Richard Shabas said the new health unit  building is necessary despite what Belleville residents may say.

He said the current building is too small, poorly designed and is even falling apart.

Many people have expressed concerns about the costs of the project. Among them is Laura Usher, a Loyalist College student from Trenton.

“It is a lot of money to spend. You can always find other ways to spend $9 million,” she said.

Construction on the new building is scheduled to begin sometime next week, although, an exact date has not yet been released.

The new building is estimated to cost approximately $9.9 million, which many residents think could be put to better use.

Shabas said it is a good price for the design they wanted.

“We got the best price,which is about $1.5 million less than we originally thought,” he said.

Shabas said the current health unit building will stay open to anyone who needs its services while the construction of the new one is in progress.

The current building will be torn down after the new premise is complete, which is estimated to be done by the end of 2014.