Correction: Former Hospital-Richmond story
RICHMOND, Ind. (AP) - In a story June 15, The Associated Press reported erroneously that Reid Health had abandoned the site of the former hospital in 2011. Reid Health owned and operated the site from 1904 to 2008. The land and buildings were sold to Whitewater Living Center LLC in 2006, who then sold the land to Rose City Development LLC in 2008. Rose City, which became Spring Grove Development LLC in 2009, has since abandoned the property.
A corrected version of the story is below:
Former Richmond hospital to be tested for chemicals
The former Reid Hospital campus in Richmond will undergo testing this week to identify the cause of chemicals and radiation found at the site
RICHMOND, Ind. (AP) - The former Reid Hospital campus in Richmond will undergo testing this week to identify the cause of chemicals and radiation found at the site.
The Palladium-Item (http://pinews.co/1Ua53HR ) reports that Reid Health announced Tuesday that its work plan had been approved by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and testing would start this week.
"This brings us closer to learning the facts about the findings on the property and what responsibility, if any, Reid has for further testing or mitigation," Craig Kenyon, Reid president and chief executive officer, said in are lease. "If we do (have responsibility), we will address it promptly and accordingly."
Crews will measure groundwater flow through wells that will be installed in specific areas. Testing could determine if chemicals found at the site occurred naturally or as a result of development of the grounds.
The site was abandoned by its current owners in 2011 and has since devolved into a blighted hazard. Efforts to conduct testing on the site began in August 2015 with Reid's hiring of an outside environmental consulting firm. Environmental Resources Management developed the work plan and presented it to state officials in May, several months after the release of findings in November 2015 from an initial investigation into the property.
State officials say the interior of the former hospital has been vandalized and buildings on the property often flood.
While an Indiana Department of Environmental Management spokesman was unable to comment on the specific details of the work plan Tuesday, he confirmed the group was working with Reid Health to identify and address potential risks at the site, as well as determine who is culpable for any harmful conditions there.
Reid Health owned and operated the site from 1904 to 2008. The land and buildings were sold to Whitewater Living Center LLC in 2006, who then sold the land to Rose City Development LLC in 2008. Rose City, which became Spring Grove Development LLC in 2009, abandoned the property in 2011.