After sitting vacant since 2012, the former Hartselle Medical Center building on Pine Street is set to be demolished, according to Decatur Morgan Hospital president Kelli Powers.  

The news came Thursday in a press release from DMH. In a statement, Powers said removal of asbestos in the building is set to begin Friday, with the project taking about five months.  

Huntsville Hospital Health System purchased the former hospital building from Capella Healthcare of Franklin, Tenn., for $1.5 million. Plans for the building never materialized, and it continued to deteriorate.  

No decision has been announced regarding future use of the property.  

The 150-bed facility at one time employed 136 full-time workers. The original hospital building was constructed in 1953. 

Mayor Randy Garrison said demolition of the building has been needed for some time.  

“I first toured the inside after it had been closed, about five years ago, and I didn’t realize how much it had deteriorated then,” Garrison said. “The second and third floors had constant leaks, and there is standing water in the basement.  

Garrison said it would have taken a $12 million investment to restore even half of the building to a usable condition.  

“It was just too far gone,” he said. “It will be sad to see such a big part of Hartselle gone, but it deserves to be demolished instead of slowly falling down and being such an eyesore.”