WCVM renovations nearing completion

November 28, 2008

The fencing is coming down and the area around the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) is being tidied as construction of the building’s new diagnostic wing wraps up.

Cam Ewart, manager of project development with Facilities Management Division, said the exterior of the wing is complete, as are offices within the space but they will remain unoccupied until the building’s life safety systems go through a verification process, likely early in the new year.

Inside the WCVM, renovations continue in the large animal surgeries, he said. That work involves modernization of the facilities and creation of common areas between the two surgical suites including a new induction/recovery area for patients. Those renovations are also on schedule for completion early in 2009.

Although some work is coming to an end, there are components of the WCVM expansion that remain on hold due to a sharp escalation in construction costs. In July, the university announced it was suspending plans for a major renovation and remodeling of existing diagnostic facilities into laboratories when the total project budget reached $68 million, up from the $42.8 million budget announced in December 2003.