Maine Medical Center Expansion | Portland

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Maine Medical Center seeks changes to Congress Street tower project

MMC is going to request a change in the facility's bed license from 637 to 700 and also to accelerate the construction schedule on one floor of the Malone Family Tower in order to get 32 beds open in 2024. Its going to cost an additional $52M - but it isn't clear in the article what that $52M will do. I haven't looked for docs but it seems like they've announced this before seeking approval so I doubt there's anything to be found?
 
Basically, without saying it in detail in the article, I believe their idea is to increase the height of the core bulk of the structure by one more story, so six stories, then the 7th tiny one remains as is, at the top corner. Maine Medical is truly becoming a behemoth. The actual footprint of the hospital is MUCH BIGGER if including the outpatient clinics and research facilities around the city. Perhaps it's time for another hospital in Portland. I don't see how Mercy will be enough. The boomers are now in full force at their end of the stages in life, and Southern Maine's population is rising. Maine Medical seems to always be expanding (because it is). Why not 10 stories instead of 7? They will probably need it by the time the latest expansion is done. And who keeps building on the tops of buildings? Just build another building, another behemoth. Healthcare will continue to keep growing due to new technologies and an unhealthy populace (obesity and bad diets). Sad but true.
https://www.pressherald.com/2021/11...eks-changes-to-congress-street-tower-project/
 
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I think you are correct TC. The original rendering with the new one from today shows an addition on the top of the roof which appears to be an extension of the 7th level which was smaller as you noted in your previous post.
 
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I think the building is 7 levels with 6 and 7 the tiny portion in the corner. In that case it would be the sixth that is expanded? The interactive module doesn't give a walk-through experience for floors 5 and 6, but does for 1,2,3,4, and 7.
Bottom line is that they will get a relatively easy approval for the expansion due to bed concerns for Covid.
 
According to Maine Health's official statement from yesterday, the modifications if approved will have seven floors plus a basement. Floors 6 and 7 will have smaller footprints and be recessed from the building's edge with the 7th floor containing staff rooms and a physical walkway connector to the existing Bramhall campus. And I agree with your easy approval thought.
 
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I'm not a big fan of the white on the Coulombe Family (East) Tower; it looks like Tyvek from a distance. And I'm the one person who liked the bright white Holiday Inn!
 
It looks like that crane tower sort of interferes with the flight path of the landing EMS helicopters. But of course, nothing will happen. Pilot error never happens. Impossible.
 
TC_zoid said:
It looks like that crane tower sort of interferes with the flight path of the landing EMS helicopters. But of course, nothing will happen. Pilot error never happens. Impossible.
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Was there last night and if those cranes hinder the landing of a helicopter, the pilot should not be licensed. There is plenty of clearance between the cranes and the pads.
 
PlantArch said:
Was there last night and if those cranes hinder the landing of a helicopter, the pilot should not be licensed. There is plenty of clearance between the cranes and the pads.
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I recently spent an entire year working on a television pilot on helicopters in NYC. I'm privy to A LOT. What CAN happen is that an EMS pilot from perhaps Boston--in an emergency weather situation--has to fly to Maine Medical and he/she would not know about these cranes because of the sudden nature of the event. Human error in helicopter accidents is how they almost always happen. I was doing this at the time of two fatal crashes. One of these crashes was caused by negligence (or fatigue) from a highly experienced pilot on the rooftop of a building, a few blocks from the heliport (there are no rooftop landings in Manhattan). At Maine Medical, the tops of the cranes are touching a realistic flight path, and from the south or west, potentially a hinderance.
 
TC_zoid said:
I recently spent an entire year working on a television pilot on helicopters in NYC. I'm privy to A LOT. What CAN happen is that an EMS pilot from perhaps Boston--in an emergency weather situation--has to fly to Maine Medical and he/she would not know about these cranes because of the sudden nature of the event. Human error in helicopter accidents is how they almost always happen. I was doing this at the time of two fatal crashes. One of these crashes was caused by negligence (or fatigue) from a highly experienced pilot on the rooftop of a building, a few blocks from the heliport (there are no rooftop landings in Manhattan). At Maine Medical, the tops of the cranes are touching a realistic flight path, and from the south or west, potentially a hinderance.
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I see the helicopters almost every day and they always approach between Weymouth and Ellsworth Street to land on the helipad.
 
portlandneedsnewarena said:
I see the helicopters almost every day and they always approach between Weymouth and Ellsworth Street to land on the helipad.
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Yes, they are all LifeFlight of Maine and they arrive from the north (Lewiston, Augusta, and Bangor, primarily). All of these pilots know exactly what is happening at Maine Medical Center. Others, or pilots from other places, probably do not. That is the point that I am making here. Maine Medical is a top tier hospital now, and it is conceivable that other EMS companies outside of Maine could bring someone from the south or west-to Maine. It is also a hospital that can be used for emergencies by the military. All that I am implying here is that the hospital should be proactive with this type of scenario. And EMS pilots are trained to land on highways, for the obvious of reasons. Roadways are all around us, so the approach to the hospital can be from anywhere. "To err is human, to forgive divine." Alexander Pope (not a pilot).
 
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TC_zoid said:
I recently spent an entire year working on a television pilot on helicopters in NYC. I'm privy to A LOT. What CAN happen is that an EMS pilot from perhaps Boston--in an emergency weather situation--has to fly to Maine Medical and he/she would not know about these cranes because of the sudden nature of the event. Human error in helicopter accidents is how they almost always happen. I was doing this at the time of two fatal crashes. One of these crashes was caused by negligence (or fatigue) from a highly experienced pilot on the rooftop of a building, a few blocks from the heliport (there are no rooftop landings in Manhattan). At Maine Medical, the tops of the cranes are touching a realistic flight path, and from the south or west, potentially a hinderance.
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One must hope that the applicable regulations are being followed, with obstruction lights etc. Human error can always be a factor, especially when doing something as inherently hazardous as piloting a helicopter in a reduced visibility situation, so all that can really be done (aside from not proceeding with the project or shutting down the helipad for the duration, both horrid options) is to ensure that the cranes are in the location they're supposed to be in when not in use to hopefully minimize surprises.
I quoted this post specifically, though, because of the Manhattan heliport statement. Is the one on the MetLife (former PanAm) building at GCT no longer in use? Or were you referring to hospital pads specifically? (Not that I've ever taken a helicopter into NYC, or anywhere for that matter other than a ride at the fair, but I know that heliport existed.)
 
markhb said:
One must hope that the applicable regulations are being followed, with obstruction lights etc. Human error can always be a factor, especially when doing something as inherently hazardous as piloting a helicopter in a reduced visibility situation, so all that can really be done (aside from not proceeding with the project or shutting down the helipad for the duration, both horrid options) is to ensure that the cranes are in the location they're supposed to be in when not in use to hopefully minimize surprises.
I quoted this post specifically, though, because of the Manhattan heliport statement. Is the one on the MetLife (former PanAm) building at GCT no longer in use? Or were you referring to hospital pads specifically? (Not that I've ever taken a helicopter into NYC, or anywhere for that matter other than a ride at the fair, but I know that heliport existed.)
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In 1977 everything changed from "the accident" (see link below). Since then, there are no helicopter landings on building rooftops in New York City--even hospitals. NYU Hospital is across the street from the East 34th St. Heliport, or the one I am most familiar with. But only organs for transplants are allowed at this heliport. It's strange, but I don't think that there are any patients helicoptered into Manhattan, or to my knowledge, anyway. The metro area has good hospitals, so that's probably the reason. The accident kind of freaked the city out. Read the article from the NY Times link and you will understand.

https://www.nytimes.com/1977/05/17/...m-building-throws-rotor-blade-one-victim.html
 
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