Fort Fairfield, TAMC move forward with plans to demolish portions of former hospital

    FORT FAIRFIELD, Maine — Following a concerted effort by Fort Fairfield community leaders and TAMC to identify a good reuse option for sections of the former Community General Hospital, officials with the town and medical center are recommending moving forward with taking down two sections of the building and retaining the space currently occupied by the Fort Fairfield Health Center.
The disposition and potential reuse of the CGH building has been the focus of discussion between the community and TAMC for the past several years. Over the past 16 months those talks have expanded to include TAMC’s Fort Fairfield Community Health Advisory Committee and the Fort Fairfield Quality of Place Council. Numerous options have been discussed and community input and suggestions for reuse were publicly sought, but none were found to be viable or cost-effective according to town and TAMC officials.
“Since 2008, the community has explored several options for the reuse of the 1950s and ’70s portions of Community General Hospital. Options that have been considered are senior citizen housing, hotel rooms, apartments, historical facilities and medical offices,” said Fort Fairfield Town Manager Michael Bosse. “Potential developers were asked to consider the options and all were deemed cost prohibitive and not to be viable.
“It is very unfortunate to lose such an icon in the community, but at this point, its deterioration is non-reversible,” he said. “Financially there are no options the town can afford to take on, and with no investors, the best option at this point is for the building to come down.”
The sections of the building to be demolished are the original 22,800 square foot, two-story (with basement) Community General Hospital completed in 1950, and an 8,780 square foot, one-story addition (with basement) constructed in 1971 to house provider office space. Another 19,400 square foot, one-story (with basement) addition, which currently houses TAMC’s Fort Fairfield Health Center, will be preserved and continue to function in its current capacity.
“We looked at and considered many options for the building with town leaders,” said TAMC President and CEO Sylvia Getman. “Through all of our discussions with our Community Health Advisory Committee members, town officials, Quality of Place Committee members, and others, our intent has always been to keep the Fort Fairfield Health Center in the community. It is an important and treasured resource for townspeople, and one that residents rely heavily on to access primary health care and other services. It has just become too cost prohibitive to heat and maintain a 50,000 square foot building when we use only a portion of it.”
In addition to Primary Care Services, FFHC offers integrated care management services, as well as mental health services. Outpatient mental health services are offered weekly on site by Janelle Underwood-Charette, who provides individual counseling sessions. TAMC’s diabetes educator also spends part of her week on-site to work collaboratively with Nurse Practitioner Mary Coffin, who is a diabetes expert. Coffin, fellow Nurse Practitioner Nadine Lamoreau, and Dr. Daniel Fowler are the full-time providers that lead the care team for TAMC in Fort Fairfield.
The Fort Fairfield Health Center was established by TAMC in 1990. CGH merged with TAMC in 1982. Until the medical center recently entered into a new partnership with the town of Fort Fairfield for ambulance services, the Crown Emergency Care team covering the community was based on the CGH property. The crew and ambulance are now based out of the Fort Fairfield Community Center.
At the April 22 Fort Fairfield Town Council meeting, TAMC officials updated community leaders on the latest developments with the building. Over the past few weeks, crews have been on-site removing asbestos from the 1950 and ’71 sections of the building. Once the abatement process is complete, TAMC will hire an area contractor, who submitted the low bid, to begin demolition of the two sections. A new end wall will be constructed where the 1961 section meets the original 1950 building. Altogether, TAMC will invest $500,000 with local contractors to complete the work. Final approval to move the plan forward will go before the TAMC board of trustees at its May 8 meeting.
“We feel we can best serve the citizens of Fort Fairfield by leaving the health center in its current location and tear down the remainder of the structure,” said James McKenney, TAMC vice president of support services.
The Community General Hospital facility sits on a 2.5-acre site with frontage on Route 161 and Green and Brown streets in Fort Fairfield. TAMC intends to create new “green space” in the area where the building sections that will be demolished for community members and patients visiting the health center to enjoy. In addition, the original 1950 cornerstone will be preserved for the town.