An aging North Colorado Medical Center will undergo a number of upgrades and expansion beginning next year as a part of Banner Health’s “campus facility master plan.”

A $60 million bond issue secured by NCMC Inc. in late July will fund the changes. Banner has been working with an architect and planners for about a year to formulate a master plan for the facility.

The point of all of the changes is to prepare Banner facilities for the next 20 years of operation, according to Gene Haffner, director of public relations for NCMC.

There are several big projects planned for the 60-year-old NCMC, which is located at 1801 16th St. in Greeley and originally was known as Weld County Hospital.

The largest chunk of the money, $37 million, will be spent on four different areas of infrastructure improvement. Gas, lighting, exterior-wall conditions and mechanical improvements will be made to the two oldest buildings on the NCMC campus.

A new lab will also be built within NCMC, adding 13,500 square feet of lab space for an estimated $13.5 million. The lab will be used to test blood, tissue and other specimens for both inpatient and outpatient procedures.

An existing lab will