Cambridge Memorial Hospital construction enters second year of delay

Cambridge Memorial Hospital has written an open letter to the community to express its frustration and disappointment over the now two-year delay in opening a large addition.

And the end to the project doesn't seem to be on the horizon any time soon, according to CEO and hospital President Patrick Gaskin.

"The challenge from our perspective is there has been the absence of the coordination of work and the sufficient resources on the site," said Gaskin.

"It's not our job to direct or coordinate those resources. But throughout the project we have expressed concern about having sufficient resources and the coordination of the work to achieve it in a timely manner."

'Notice of default'

The letter to the community indicates there has been little work done at the location since subcontractors stopped showing up at the site in the summer.

That's when the hospital issued 'notices of default' which gives contractors and lenders 120 days to fix the problems. Day 120 is December 11th.

As of December 12th, the letter said, "we have every intention of exercising our rights in the project agreement." That includes terminating the contract. Gaskin said the hospital will inform the community at the end of the month as to exactly what steps they'll take.

The new wing looks like it's ready, but Gaskin said a number of features inside the building have to be completed before staff move in and patients are cared for.

The 240-thousand square foot addition to the building was meant to be offering a number of services from pediatrics, medical education campus, a new emergency department, as well as inpatient and outpatient facility.