Old hospital discussion

Around thirty residents attended the community meeting at Carter County Event Center on Monday evening. The meeting, hosted by county commissioners in conjunction with TAB (Technical Assistance for Brownfields) and Adaapta, mostly included informal discussions about possible reuses for the old hospital facility in Ekalaka.

The building has been vacant since late in 2021. Most of the community members in attendance on Monday agreed that they want the old building to be used for something, but the ideas brought forth on what its potential uses could be weren’t all agreed upon.

Kate Lucas and Mary Hashem of Adaapta guided those in attendance on what they referred to as a (SWOT) analysis, an acronym for “Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats” in the community.

Afterwards, a final list of possible reuses for the facility identified by groups of individuals in attendance was created. Some of the reuses suggested included housing, child care, assisted-living, office spaces, public health department, a rec center, a bowling alley, and even a fire hall.

Another meeting with the same content was held Tuesday in Alzada.

All of the community feedback received at those meetings will be considered when doing a feasibility analysis and market study of the old hospital. Once completed, that information will be given to the commission.