Columbus Regional Health officials expect to continue efforts to rehabilitate the former Clarion Hotel and Conference Center on the city’s west side through most of next year.
The hospital system, through Southeastern Indiana Medical Holdings, a CRH holding company, purchased the 20.7-acre Clarion property on July 17, 2017 for $4.25 million and then demolished the structure.
Lawyer Excavation, a contractor hired by the hospital system, is now removing four acres of trees in a swampy, flood-prone area near I-65 on the property’s west side, where CRH officials are looking to raise the property level between 6 and 8 feet, said Kesley DeClue, CRH spokeswoman.
“It was determined that in order to maximize the potential for further development, a portion of the trees as you get closer to (Interstate) 65 would need to be removed,” DeClue said. “…We need to create a base and then over that we will begin bringing in the soil to recreate what would be a development-ready plot of land.”
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The Columbus People Trail, which winds behind the property and is closed occasionally because of extensive flooding behind the former Clarion site, will remain on the property but could be rerouted and elevated, DeClue said.
“We are working to reroute and elevate the People Trail as well,” DeClue said. “The People Trail will continue to go through there. In fact, we’d really like to make that a better experience for People Trail users.”
Above flood grade
The huge pile of rubble that has been on the property is being used to raise the site above flood grade level by an average of 5 feet.
The fill is actually construction debris from the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) work site south of Columbus to Seymour, where contractors are expanding I-65 in both directions from two lanes to three lanes.
The area has been described as an eyesore and a dump by some local residents who have said in the Republic “Around Town” column that the enormous pile of dirt and stone is inappropriate for Columbus’ west side. Some have asked why code enforcement isn’t doing anything to “fix” the issue of huge piles of rubble being dumped on the site.
Fred Barnett, Columbus’ code enforcement officer, said the site is within city compliance as it continues to recycle the construction rubble and raise the dirt level on the property.
“It’s a little out of the city’s control right now,” Barnett said, adding that INDOT has permission to place the material for the hospital to use as fill.
“There’s nothing hazardous other there,” Barnett said. “It just looks ugly right now. But there’s nothing harmful or dangerous.”
Contractors initially used rubble from the Clarion’s demolition as fill, but there was not enough, DeClue said. So far, nearly 17,000 cubic yards of repurposed rubble have been dumped on the site, she said.
A significant portion of the work done with the rubble has included sorting the rubble and determining what could be ground up and used for fill, but “it’s hard to tell from just looking at it,” DeClue said.
“That was another reason why people for a little while saw mounds of rubble and saw movement out there but there wasn’t really a clear reason behind it,” DeClue said. “It was almost piece by piece going through the rubble of that property and of the I-65 construction work to make sure every part of it was moved to either reuse or recycle in some way.”
Changing priorities
Hospital officials have said the former Clarion land was purchased to better serve Columbus residents on the city’s growing west side, but the FairOaks Mall project has, in some ways, altered plans for the site.
The hospital system currently expects to retain 2 to 3 acres of the former Clarion site and sell the rest, but no specific uses have been identified so far.
“Knowing they we’re not going to need (the entire property) now, how can we ensure that site is developed to benefit the whole community? That’s where we’re at right now, getting it ready so it’s attractive to potential developers to become something else to further boost the west side,” DeClue said.
In December, the city and the hospital system completed purchasing the 35.36-acre mall property at 25th Street and Central Avenue. CRH contributed $1.3 million, or 25 percent of the appraised value, of the total $5.9 million price tag.
Columbus Regional Health has assembled a multi-disciplinary team to evaluate what kinds of facilities and services may be located at the mall site and are looking to “to move forward with that as quickly as we can,” said DeClue said, adding that a formal announcement of how the hospital system would use its portion of the mall site could come as early as February.
Hospital officials are also considering a future use for 800 acres of farmland near Garden City it purchased in 2018 for future expansion.
Though “several discussions” with potential buyers of the Clarion site “are in play,” there is no firm timetable at this point for when the site will be ready, DeClue said.
“We know there’s an urgency there to get that space of land looking a little bit more attractive as you drive by on your way to work or on your way home,” she said. “We’re excited for the potential there. …It’s been a long road.”
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In July 2017, Columbus Regional Health purchased the 20.7-acre former Clarion Hotel and Conference Center to better serve Columbus residents on the city’s growing west side. The hospital paid $4.25 million for the property, with no immediate timeline announced on development of the site.
Currently, CRH is continuing its efforts to rehabilitate the former Clarion site and expect to continue working through most of next year.
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"We know there’s an urgency there to get that space of land looking a little bit more attractive as you drive by on your way to work or on your way home," she said. "We’re excited for the potential there. …It’s been a long road."
— Kelsey DeClue, Columbus Regional Hospital spokeswoman
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