MEXICO, Mo. — The city of Mexico is taking steps to turn part of the former Audrain Medical Center property into its future City Hall and public safety facility.
In June, Mexico City Council approved a $11,100 land survey to help architects and engineers begin designing the project. Funding for the survey comes from the city’s City Hall Building Fund and is expected to be completed by Aug. 1, according to city documents.
The former hospital’s cancer wing will be preserved while the rest of the campus is demolished, allowing the city to renovate the existing building into a new city hall and public safety facility.
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Drew Williford, Public Works director and deputy city manager for Mexico, said the construction of the campus is being split up into two phases.
Phase one includes renovating the cancer wing into the new city hall and public safety facility. Demolition for this portion of the project has already begun.
Phase two includes demolishing the main portion of the former hospital, which could be the location of a new emergency care facility. Williford said that the city is putting that portion of the property up for bid to be demolished within the next few weeks.
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“We’re moving forward trying to get things ready,” Williford said. “But there’s a lot of processes involved that have to come in behind the scenes.”
The medical center closed its doors in 2022, forcing Mexico residents to drive out of town to get emergency medical care.
“This is a very unique opportunity, not only for the city to save substantial amounts of money and reusing an existing facility,” Williford said, “But then also for the premise of reduce, reuse and recycle.”
According to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, demolition began in May and is expected to continue through Sept. 30. State records show asbestos-containing materials are being removed as required before redevelopment can continue.
The city is also continuing discussions with Boone Health about bringing hospital services back to the site. Bruce Slagle, Mexico’s city manager, has said the two sides are negotiating, but a timeline, cost and contractor for a new hospital have not been announced. Boone Health spokesperson Christian Basi said discussions are making progress, but declined to provide additional details.