Allen County commissioners briefly discussed what may become of the older Allen County Hospital following an executive session Tuesday morning.
A week earlier they asked County Counselor Alan Weber to obtain bids for razing the structure, and are interested in pressing in that direction. A handful of developers have looked at the structure with no results.
Commissioner Jerry Daniels told the Register there was a possibility removal of the 60-year-old building might be done in some degree for reclamation rights, which could significantly reduce cost of its removal.
“There’s a lot of piping and copper in the building, as well as the boilers,” he said.
With new copper selling for more than $2.60 a pound on the spot market, scrap would fetch a good price, he reasoned. Concrete, of which there is much, also might be ground up for aggregate, Daniels said.
He added a clean site might be more encouraging for development, being adjacent to U.S. 54.
Commissioners also signed documents aligning farmland and meadow at Allen County Airport with the new federal farm bill, a necessity for inclusion in its programs.
Bill King, director of Public Works, said about 95 acres were farmed by Aron Coltrane. The meadow contains about 80 acres of grass.
Commissioner Jim Talkington asked whether land at the airport not needed for air traffic might be marketed for economic development. It could be, said King, but water and sewer issues could be a hurdle.
County eyes razing hospital
