Aloha … from BethC Gifford raises money for March of Dimes
Gifford moving forward on
final phase of ravine project
Project aims to beautify campus, reconfigure drive, parking
RANDOLPH, June 15, 2010 – Construction is slated to begin next week on the final phase of Gifford Medical Center’s ravine project.
Over the next six weeks, excavating, paving and landscaping crews under the direction of Connor Contracting will be reconfiguring the southern part of Gifford’s campus to move the hospital’s visitors’ entrance closer to the Thrift Shop, pave parking spots created on what was once a deep ravine and enlarge a green space the hospital hopes to make available in part as a community park.
In March of 2002, Gifford was granted a 10-year Act 250 permit to fill a huge ravine that divided the main hospital from Gifford Auxiliary’s Thrift Shop and the medical center’s day care, The Robin’s Nest Child Enrichment Center.
In the years since, the ravine has been filled in and now – with new local and state permits in hand – the hospital is on its way to completing the project.
During the project, patients and visitors could see traffic redirected and are advised to use the hospital’s Maple Street entrance to avoid any delays caused by the construction. Patient and visitor parking from Maple Street will remain.
Some Gifford staff, however, will need to park elsewhere. The hospital has worked with the town to allow Gifford employees to temporarily park at the vacant Branchwood lot on the corner of Pearl and Pleasant streets. Employees will be walking to work from there and area residents could see foot traffic increase in their community as a result.
“Our goal is to minimize the disruption and inconvenience to patients and visitors, but we also ask for community members’ patience,” said Strategic Projects Director Theron Manning. “This is an important project for the medical center and the community that has already brought about great changes.”
Prior to the ravine fill project, Gifford actually had parking along South Main Street (Route 12). As part of its original Act 250 permit, Gifford worked to not only fill the ravine but also improve the overall look of the medical center from the main road.
Consequently, parking on South Main Street was replaced with attractive green space and plantings. And as the ravine was filled in, additional green space was added abutting South Main Street between the Thrift Shop and the hospital. About 100 much-needed new parking spaces were also created for the busy and growing medical center and its award-winning nursing home.
Once complete, the project will pave all 100 spots and further beautify the campus.
The parking lots will join, be paved and have islands around light poles with attractive plantings, including lilacs and crabapple trees. The current green space will get larger, taking over some of the current parking lot. There will be a sitting area on the green and maple trees will be planted.
The current visitors’ entrance from South Main Street will be relocated down the street near the Thrift Shop. Cars will enter on the hospital side of the Thrift Shop, moving traffic volumes and sounds away from the medical center’s popular and peaceful Birthing Center. And the large liquid oxygen tank that is near the road will move further back on Gifford’s property to make the roadside view more appealing.
“This is the completion of years of work and planning and is very exciting for our medical center, which is constantly striving to improve,” Manning said.