Georgetown Memorial Hospital will be the site of a multi-year, major hospital renovation construction project, according to an announcement by Georgetown Hospital System officials.

“We are very pleased to announce the beginning of this project,” said H. McRoy Skipper Jr., chairman of the Georgetown Hospital System Board of Trustees.

“Georgetown Memorial Hospital has served the healthcare needs of Georgetown and surrounding areas for more than 62 years. Undertaking a project of this scope will help ensure we have the kind of facility we need to continue delivery of quality healthcare service well into the future. This is a reinvestment in our community and in our organization,” Skipper added.

The project will be managed in a “phased” approach necessitated by the age of the building.

In Phase I, which is expected to cost about $22 million, a second-floor nursing unit will undergo major renovation and the hospital’s main entrance will be relocated from Black River Road to Memorial Lane.

The first floor “mall” area also will be reoriented, providing a new traffic flow pattern which will improve patient access and convenience for outpatient services.

“Parts of Georgetown Memorial Hospital are more than 60 years old. As a result, significant work must be done to upgrade and replace some of the aging infrastructure before other work can begin,” said Bruce P. Bailey, CEO, Georgetown Hospital System.

In the first phase of the project, the building also will be re-roofed, heating and cooling systems will be replaced and the exterior of the hospital will be “re-skinned” with a new exterior surface.

“By resurfacing the outside of the building, the intent is to establish a new architecturally pleasing exterior design theme, ultimately leading to construction of a new patient tower, to include patient beds and operating rooms, which is planned as Phase II of the project,” Bailey said.

Once Phase I of the project is complete, the GHS Board of Trustees will meet to consider Phase II.