Work could begin on the Brooks-TLC site next month.

Until the fall of 2028, operations of the Brooks-TLC Hospital System will remain in place at Central Avenue and Sixth Street in Dunkirk. The venerable site has been showing its age — more than 83 years worth — over the recent decades.

In terms of a legacy, the structure is fondly looked upon by many as a beacon of care. That commitment will remain, but it will be at a different location with a modern, upscale look.

With the submission of a Certificate of Need to the state Health Department earlier this week, officials at Brooks-TLC and Kaleida Health at 412 E. Main St. in Fredonia. It is an effort that has been filled with trials and tribulations for more than 15 years.

Brooks Memorial Hospital, in 2010, had an agreement to work with UPMC that is based out of Pittsburgh and currently has a role with the Jamestown hospital, which is UPMC Chautauqua. That Brooks-UPMC partnership was tenuous at best with the region as well as some of the staff.

Once Kaleida entered the picture in 2017, that is when New York state became involved and began offering funding for a state-of-the-art site. Though a location east of the roundabout was first selected, the former property of Cornell Cooperative Extension would be finalized in 2019.

That location remains a point of controversy with some longtime residents, but the new beginning is a significant piece for all of northern Chautauqua County.

What is starting out as a $223 million project, it will incorporate medical office space with outpatient services in a 133,000-square-foot one-story facility. That will include 15 medical and surgical beds with an additional five observation beds. In addition, the Emergency Department capacity will increase from nine bays to 16 and include designated trauma, bariatric and sexual assault services.

“Now you’ll have a destination campus where all those services will be in one location,” said Don Boyd, president and chief executive officer of Kaleida Health. “It gives (the Brooks-TLC) team the opportunity to take those services that might have been spread across the community and centralize them into one location.”

About $74 million for the work will be funded by the state with the possibility of more. Kaleida Health and philanthropic contributions are being counted on to make up the difference.

In addition, there will be multiple water sources at the site — with one coming from the North County Water District and another coming from the village of Fredonia.

Energy for the project began to pick up steam with the naming of Ken Morris to the position of president and chief executive officer at Brooks-TLC. Once in the role, Morris was a tireless advocate for the effort and met often with community leaders, residents and organizations to build momentum

“The Kaleida and Brooks team has come together,” he said. Everybody has galvanized around this mission to be able to advance health through improving access here.”

One other facet of bringing the new structure one step closer to reality is the hospital’s board of directors. Much maligned over 10 years, Boyd believes they deserve “a ton of credit” for “believing in a better future.” He also shared his “heartfelt gratitude” for the community.

“They have been with us through this whole journey,” he said. “It was full of twists and turns. There were probably moments of doubt … but they deserve a lot of credit for their role in continuing to describe just how critical health care is.”

Approval of the Certificate of Need is expected in the coming weeks. Both Boyd and Morris are hopeful work can begin on the site starting in December.

As for the future of the current Brooks-TLC site, the Dunkirk Local Development Corp. had a $1 deal to take over the location for redevelopment purposes in 2023 once a new hospital was built. However, with the city’s continuing fiscal challenges, it is unknown whether that still is on the table.