Champion Environmental Services, Inc. is set to begin asbestos abatement at the abandoned Gateway Community Hospital in East St. Louis. The St. Clair County Board officially approved the contracts in a meeting Monday, October 26, 2009.
The following article concerning the job was published in the “Belleville News-Democrat”. The article was written by MIKE FITZGERALD.
Long tagged as an eyesore, abandoned hospital to be torn down
BY MIKE FITZGERALD - News-Democrat
BELLEVILLE -- The abandoned Gateway Community Hospital, long tagged as one of the worst eyesores in East St. Louis, is set to come down soon and possibly be replaced with a park, thanks to a vote Monday night by the St. Clair County Board.
The County Board approved two contracts worth nearly $623,000 with contractors to tear out and dispose of asbestos from the condemned building at 1509 Martin Luther King Drive and then demolish it and cart away the rubble.
"It'll be a great improvement for the city of East St. Louis," St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern said.
Champion Environmental Services Inc., of Gilberts, won a county contract for $317,500 to remove and dump the building's asbestos, the contract shows.
Ahrens Contracting Inc., of St. Louis, won a contract worth $305,335 to raze the building, according to the contract.
Since its closure 20 years ago, the abandoned hospital has stood as one of this city's biggest and worst eyesores -- a magnet for rats, vandals and complaints, especially from parishioners at St. Joseph Catholic Church next door.
In March, the County Board agreed to pay a flat fee of $55,000 to SCI Engineering Inc., of St. Charles, Mo., to oversee the hiring of contractors to search for and remove asbestos from the building, and to tear down the structure.
Since autumn 2000, the old hospital had been condemned after East St. Louis city inspectors designated it unsafe.
Contact reporter Mike Fitzgerald at mfitzgerald@bnd.com or 239-2533.
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