{"id":172679,"date":"2017-03-15T13:40:46","date_gmt":"2017-03-15T03:40:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=172679"},"modified":"2020-09-20T17:41:05","modified_gmt":"2020-09-20T07:41:05","slug":"work-starts-on-new-dental-facility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2017\/03\/15\/work-starts-on-new-dental-facility\/","title":{"rendered":"Work Starts On New Dental Facility"},"content":{"rendered":"
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FLASHBACK: Demolition work begins on the old Farrhome building last November<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

March 15, 2017<\/strong><\/p>\n

Construction is about to begin on the new building which will replace the demolished Farrhome at the back of Kingaroy Hospital.<\/p>\n

Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service (DDHHS) Executive Director Infrastructure, Dr Paul Clayton, said the new purpose-built building would benefit the South Burnett for many years.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe expect construction to be underway by early April,” he said.<\/p>\n

“We\u2019re looking forward to replacing the old Farr Home building with a contemporary oral health and community health facility.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe new building will have a similar footprint to the old one, and we are ensuring the memory of Matron Farr, who worked at Kingaroy Hospital from the 1940s through to the 1970s, will be maintained in a very significant way.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe estimate the construction phase of the project should take around 20 weeks, so if all goes to plan the new facility should be nearing completion by late July.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr Clayton said the DDHHS\u2019s commitment to the original aim of the joint project with partners Griffith University and Queensland Rural Medical Education (QRME) remained steadfast.<\/p>\n

\u201cA joint project, with co-contributors Griffith University and QRME, to use the old building for a dental and community health facility was underway last year, but in early November the construction contractors found much larger amounts of asbestos in the ageing building than expected,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith safety being our primary concern a decision was made to demolish the building, so we are now looking forward to the delivery of a new purpose-built facility.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr Clayton said the construction of the new building would not detract from the DDHHS\u2019s efforts to get a new hospital for Kingaroy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cA new hospital for Kingaroy remains the number one priority for the DDHHS,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll large infrastructure projects of that nature need to go through the Queensland Government\u2019s Investment Review process for approval and funding.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the meantime we are committed to providing the best facilities possible for the people of the South Burnett, and the construction of this new oral health and community health building is testament to that commitment.\u201d<\/p>\n

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