The topping of the final structural steel frame of the final new build of the San Mateo Medical Center last month marked a significant milestone in the $176 million construction and renovation of the facility after being in the works for six years.
With construction stifled by the pandemic, winter storms and heat waves, Paul Cunningham, project executive with Truebeck Construction, said the topping off ceremony — when local leaders and County Health officials signed the final steel bar placed on the building’s frame — felt like a turning point in progress.
“It does feel really good to get to this point,” Cunningham said. “There were so many obstacles along the way, you kind of lose sight of it after a while, that you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. You can definitely see it now.”
The multi-phase project at the Medical Center, located in San Mateo at 222 W. 39th Ave., included demolition of seismically non-compliant buildings, construction of two new buildings, as well as overall improvements to existing infrastructure dedicated to advancing equitable access and sustainable design.
One of the new buildings hosts the hospital’s administration programs as well as the new morgue and the public health Lab. The second “link building” connects the administration building to the existing hospital — which has remained fully operating throughout this project.
Medical center services, such as a 24/7 blood lab, remained on the other side of the fire wall that was constructed from retrofitted original building beams.
“It’s not like getting your wrecking balls that we used to have back in the day,” Cunningham said. “This was like surgical demolition to make sure that all of the people in the hospital were completely safe and our construction workers were safe too.”
As one of the many project developments in the pipeline, County Executive Officer Mike Callagy said he commends the hospital board for investing in safety-net services in the county.
“It’s been a long time coming. It’s been quite an investment but it’s an investment in people. Whenever that comes together, it really feels good,” Callagy said. “These are infrastructure investments that are going to last for the next 50 years.”
The project was designed to reach the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design silver certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. Sustainable designs include stormwater collection and treatment, electric vehicle charging stations and solar panels.
In addition to sustainability, bettering the interior design of the facility was a priority for the construction team. Improving public-facing spaces that service historically underserved communities is important, Cunningham said.
“You want to design a place that promotes wellness,” he said. “That’s what health care is all about.”
The renovation of the central utility plant and nursing wing was completed in 2021. The second phase included the construction of the three-story administrative building completed in 2023.
The final phase and “home stretch” includes finalizing the interior structures of the link building, which will host a new cafeteria, support space for the engineering departments, and the new Coroner’s Office. Installing underground utilities, building a “convenient and flowing” parking lot, and landscaping will cap off the project.
Acknowledging that unforeseen complications can always happen, the project is estimated to be completed by summer 2025, Cunningham said.
“So far, we feel really good about where we are,” Cunningham said. “We’ve cleared a lot of those hurdles with the regulatory things. Now it feels like we’ve made a tremendous amount of progress.”
(1) comment
This sounds like good news but at what cost? What was the initial budgeted cost vs. the cost to date? Is $176 million the final cost after six years or the initial budgeted cost? How much have costs ballooned via change orders or added bells and whistles? And what programs were sacrificed to pay for this medical center?
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