PORTLAND, Maine (AP)   Portland’s Mercy Hospital says it’s moving ahead with a delayed effort to relocate to a new facility on Fore River Parkway.

Mercy President Charlie Therrien tells the Portland Press Herald that the hospital has submitted a letter of intent to state regulators to obtain a Certificate of Need, which is necessary for the project to proceed.

Therrien said Mercy has been operating in the black since October. The previous year, it had a $3.9 million operating loss.

The hospital already has facilities at the Fore River site including an urgent care center. The goal is to build a full-service hospital there before relocating and selling the current hospital on State Street in Portland.