Renovations begin at new North Clark Community Hospital

CHARLESTOWN, Ind. (WDRB) -- After years of sitting empty, renovations are beginning on what will be the new North Clark Community Hospital.

The exterior walls of the hospital on Market Street have been ripped off, exposing the inside of the building. Concerned community members reached out to WDRB News wondering if the hospital was being demolished. City leaders explained that what looks like demolition is actually progress in the renovations.

“The hospital, over the last few years, has been trying to renovate,” said Tony Jackson, director of planning and zoning for Charlestown. “Any kind of construction project nowadays, it takes time.”

Last known as St. Catherine Regional Hospital, it filed for bankruptcy in 2012 and closed three years later. Then, local company Dhvaj bought the building, promising to reopen as North Clark Community Hospital. The last update provided by the company’s CEO to WDRB News was in 2018, when Jim Wesp said the timeline to reopen was still unclear, but the building would be up to code in late-2018.

“People have been like, ‘Well what’s going on? We don’t see it. We don’t see it,’ Jackson said. "And just like any other project, you don’t see it until it happens. Well that’s where the hospital is at now.”

After years of sitting empty, renovations are beginning on what will be the new North Clark Community Hospital.

Jackson said there have been procedural delays with the project, but he expects that with large projects. He said the company has been in the planning phase for years but has what it needs now to move forward.

“They’re at the point where after they’ve got all their permits and they’ve gone through the state and got their release,” Jackson said. “Now, they’re at the point where they’re actually starting renovation.”

Jackson said the exterior walls will be torn down, a new façade will be built, more parking will be added, and the interior will eventually be updated. City leaders have long hoped a new hospital will bring a wave of economic development.

“It’s going to be a nice-looking hospital," Jackson said. "We’re growing, and that’s a good thing."

It’s still not clear when the hospital will open. As of Friday evening, the company's owners haven't replied to several requests for comment.