Ground was broken for the future Melfort Heliport on the corner of Higgins Ave W and West Street. (Aaron Schulze/northeastNOW Staff)

By Aaron Schulze

Melfort Heliport Construction

Melfort Heliport construction set to take off

Jul 29, 2020 | 5:13 PM

With the thrust of a handful of shovels, a project nearly three years in the making will see the light of day.

Representatives from the North Central Health Care Foundation (NCHCF), Municipal Health Advocacy Committee (MHAC), the City of Melfort, and the Government of Saskatchewan broke ground for the Melfort Heliport on Wednesday, July 29. The Heliport will be located next to Melfort Hospital on the corner of Higgins Ave W and West Street.

Rod Gantefoer, chairperson for the MHAC, said enough of the $600,000 plus in funding has been reached. Contractors will be on site starting Thursday, July 30.

“When the [coronavirus] pandemic hit, we were in the middle of fundraising,” Gantefoer said. “We had a big push on recently… and we got pretty well there in terms of the cash needs. The city agreed to get started. Anything raised in excess will go to the [NCHCF] for further work down the road. We could end up with $20,000 or $30,000 extra, depending how many people donate. We won’t turn anybody away.”

With Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society (STARS) being able to land at Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon, Gantefoer said transport time for patients travelling between Melfort and Saskatoon will be reduced by as much as 50 minutes. He said with Saskatchewan having a small population over a large area of land, the Melfort Heliport can help communities such as Carrot River and Naicam reduce transport time for their patients.

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“You don’t get into supper-time traffic jams and railroad crossings,” Gantefoer said. “It’s 35 minutes or so, depending which way the wind is blowing. When you’re on your way to Saskatoon, STARS crew will get the doctors in Saskatoon ready for what’s coming, so they can cut down the time from where it’d might take an hour or two before. Time saves lives.”

Brent Lutz, Melfort’s director of development planning and community relations, said the city is cognizant of allowing construction to take place near the hospital, especially during a pandemic.

“The emergency access needs to be maintained for the ambulance throughout the construction period; we can’t obstruct any of the accesses,” Lutz said. “We need to also concern ourselves with the possibility of infection control and not get fumes and dust in the hospital.”

Beautification of the heliport is part of the overall project, although Lutz said the initial tender will be landscaping the grass area outside of the hospital. He assumes perimeter trees will be planted on the city boulevard portion of the land, but the city has yet to settle on a design.

Construction is expected to be completed in October 2020.

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aaron.schulze@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @SchulzePANow