Coalville City Council wants old hospital torn down

(Park Record) Some Summit County officials say they hope to save the old hospital building in Coalville by transforming the brick structure into a library for the North Summit area.

At a town-hall meeting March 10 residents will get an opportunity to weigh in about whether the building should be restored or demolished.

"We have promised them a public hearing for an opportunity to voice their concerns," Summit County Councilman David Ure said.

The building is one of few left in the area that is a product of the Works Progress Administration, a New Deal-era agency. It housed a hospital for decades at 80 N. 50 East.

"It's, in my mind, a historic kind of building," Summit County Manager Bob Jasper said.

Today, the Summit County Health Department uses the building.

"You're going to spend more money building a new building than renovating," Jasper told members of the Summit County Council Feb. 17.

He estimates that converting the old hospital into a library could cost between $700,000 and $900,000.

Tearing the structure down and building new would cost nearly $1.5 million, Jasper added.

"There is nothing really wrong with the structure of the building," Jasper said.

But the county should not cut corners to save costs on the project, Summit County Councilman John Hanrahan said.

"We want this building to be a building the county can be very proud of, that can provide for the needs of the library," Hanrahan said.

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