FROM STUGGLING FAMILY FARM TO MEGA-HOSPITAL
Hospital to pay O’Keefes $6M for 60 acres of land
The story of Michael O’Keefe’s life in many ways is in the soil of the farm fields at the southeastern corner of County Road 42 and 9th Concession where the proposed mega-hospital will be built.
It’s land that has been in his family since the late 1800s and he has worked this soil since he was a young boy.
After O’Keefe’s mother was killed in a car accident when he was eight, his father Raymond struggled to overcome his grief and lost the farm several years later. Such was the pull of this land, Michael bought it back from the bank as a young man.
He and his wife Mary Jane still call the farm home, but he’s not worrying about his soya bean crop quite as much with the prospect of a $6-million cheque looming in the near future if the hospital gets approved. “I knew this land use would change here someday and I’m glad it’s going for a hospital,” O’Keefe said.
Mary Jane O’Keefe admits she’s struggled to contain the most sought after secret in Essex County since officials informed the family a few weeks ago that they had the golden ticket.
“My view is going to change out my kitchen window,” said O’Keefe of how this alters things for her family. “We’ll stay here.
“It’s been hard to have such a huge secret and not be able to tell anyone.”
The family has an agreement with Windsor Regional Hospital to sell 60 of their 175 acres for $100,000 per acre with a closing date set in July 2017. In addition to the $6-million land purchase, it’ll cost about $800,000 to bring utilities to the site.
The deal is pending getting approval from the Ministry of Health to proceed with the project.
That approval is expected as early as next year.
“I would like to thank the Steering Committee for their work on this important project,” Health Minister Dr. Eric Hoskins said by email Thursday.
“This proposal is still in its early stages and we look forward to continuing to work closely with the Erie St. Clair LHIN and with Windsor Regional Hospital to continue to move this project forward.”
Michael O’Keefe admits this isn’t the first time he’s had offers to sell his property across from Windsor Airport. He had multiple opportunities to sell 20 or 30 years ago.
This time it was the right project at the right time that convinced the family to submit their land for consideration.
“(I didn’t sell before because) I probably would’ve blown the money,” O’Keefe joked.
“I held onto to it until it came to fruition this time.”
With their two sons Shawn, Grant and their families in attendance for Thursday’s official announcement, the emotion of the life-changing possibilities were sinking in.
“The farm has been in the family over a 100 years, but this is really my father’s accomplishment,” said Shawn O’Keefe, who handled most of the details of the process.
“That to me is the thing I’m most proud of, that my dad gets to see this. He worked really, really hard to keep this farm.
“His life as a child wasn’t very good. He had to grow up at a very young age. “He saved this family farm.” Shawn O’Keefe added he doesn’t expect the deal to have much of an impact on his family in the immediate future.
“When the cheque comes, the cheque goes to my parents,” O’Keefe said.
“It’s really for our kids’ security. It’s generational.”
Shawn O’Keefe admits it was a roll- er-coaster ride to arrive at Thursday’s announcement.
He thought the property was “slam dunk” as an ideal location, but then his heart sunk when the Windsor Airport lands just across the road didn’t make the short list.
“I thought it makes no sense that they’d turn that down and keep us on the shortlist,” O’Keefe said.
“To me that meant we were just hanging on by a thread to even make the shortlist. Obviously, we weren’t.”
The airport was rejected because Transport Canada wouldn’t allow for a separate helipad for the hospital and because the lands were located in the middle of the property well away from County Road 42.
“It (O’Keefe farm) was the best site because it was accessible, would allow for a helipad, all the services are nearby, was a clean site and offered us enough room for expansion with 60 acres,” said David Musyj, CEO/ president of Windsor Regional Hospital and co-chair of the Mega-hospital Project Steering Committee.
“The ministry will consider these projects at 30 acres, but their ideal number is 50 or more. People don’t realize how big a hospital this is.
“We’re nearly as big as the Essex Engine plant. Try dropping something that big downtown.”