November 9 was identified as the date that members of the Adams Health Network (AHN) board of trustees will be receiving and opening bids for the proposed demolition of the old Adams County Memorial Hospital in Decatur, IN

Meeting in their regular monthly session Wednesday night, trustees discussed the fate of the structure which was originally finished in 1923 and then had several additions over the years. A new Adams Memorial Hospital was opened on July 4, 2005, putting the old facility out of business.

AHN attorney Adam Miller informed the board there will be a pre-bid meeting on October 25 for contractors interested in bidding on the project. Legal advertising will be done as required and bids received up to the Nov. 9 date.

Hospital Executive Director Marvin L. Baird told the board there has been some asbestos discovered in the plaster walls of the 1923 section of the building and that the hazardous material would have to be removed, placed in bags, and hauled away from the site prior to any demolition taking place.

He said the cost of the asbestos removal would be considered part of the demolition cost and a preliminary estimate of $56,675 to remove the material had been obtained. Funding for the actual demolition project still remains up in the air as hospital officials await the bid projections.

Other actions associated with the demolition were also discussed at length Wednesday night, including moving the communications tower from the old facility to the new hospital site. The cost of replacing the old 160-foot tower was set at $55,553 but a grant received by the hospital would cover that amount.

Baird said he has been contacted by county information specialist Pat Norton about the possibility of increasing the size of the tower to approximately 350 feet so the county could use it as well for its telecommunications needs.

Baird said the county would cover the cost of increasing the size of the tower. Adams County Commissioner Ed Coil pointed out that money in the 911 fund could be used for that purpose.

It was stressed that the moving of the tower has to be done prior to any demolition work occurring at the old hospital site. No final decision was made by the board about the future of the tower.