WATERLOO -- At Allen Hospital's groundbreaking ceremony this morning, officials announced the latest fundraising figures, but the shovels never struck dirt.

Construction won't actually begin for another week, so much of the on-campus parking along Dale Street -- where the 70,000-square-foot Pauline Barrett Pavilion will eventually stand -- remains open for now.

The hospital is waiting for a new 200-car parking lot to open at the corner of Logan Avenue and Dale Street before it permanently fences off several hundred spots.

When crews break ground sometime next week, direct access to doctors' offices in the Dale Street professional building will be cut off. A brand-new entrance served by the new parking lot will become the access point. It will feature valet service, and staff will provide wheelchair transport to the doctors' offices.

The hospital's main Logan Street entrance will remain open.

Squeezed onto its existing campus in east Waterloo, Allen Hospital will build its emergency department and cardiac center over old parking lots and buildings. That means much of the hospital's parking has been shifted to accommodate the $47 million project, the most expensive in Allen's history. The building is expected to open in spring 2009.

Allen Hospital CEO Rick Seidler said more than $10 million has been raised for its capital campaign, which will fund the new building, as well as Allen College projects.

About $1 million has been donated by 601 Allen employees -- about a third of its work force. While hospital executives donated generously, Seidler said the majority of the money comes from employees via three-year payroll deductions.

"It seemed large (the $1 million goal)," said Denise Hanson, a campaign co-chair and Allen College administrative business officer. "But the majority of the people like where they work and want to see the hospital improve."

Contact Jens Manuel Krogstad at (319) 291-1580 or jens.krogstad@wcfcourier.com.