The city of Dowagiac has officially broken ground on a new, expanded dental clinic.

The 12,000 sq. foot building to be erected on the corner of Front and Main streets in Dowagiac, directly across from the City Hall, is expected to be completed by next May. The second floor of the two-story building will provide the additional space needed by the Cass-Van Buren County Department dental clinic.

“The current (dental clinic) houses three dentists, and they just can’t get enough patients through there,” said Mayor Don Lyons. Lyons said the health department is currently booked several months out.

The new clinic, which is projected to be approximately 33 percent larger than the current dental clinic, will provide room for three new dentists in addition to the four that are currently staffed at the Donald Lyons Health Clinic.

The first floor of the building will be available for professional lease to the community in order to help pay off the mortgage on the building. The building is being constructed and funded by the city of Dowagiac through a similar funding model as the Donald Lyons Health Center, located directly across from Borgess Lee Memorial Hospital.

When the mortgage for the new property is paid off in 20 years, the income from the property will go to the city of Dowagiac. The mortgage for the Donald Lyons Health Center is expected to be paid off in 13 years, at which time the rental income will revert to the city of Dowagiac.