Demolition begins at former Whitefish hospital

Demolition of the former North Valley Hospital building in Whitefish is well underway.

Crews have torn off the entire east facade and are starting to rip into the interior of the facility.

According to project manager Dominic Cerulli, the two level building on the corner of U.S. 93 South and East 13th Street consists of 100,000 square feet of concrete and structural steel that will be torn down, sorted and removed. Mounding piles of rubble at the site are actively being separated from recyclables.

“We’re culling all the steel, copper, concrete and other materials,” Cerulli said. “Some of it is being salvaged, reused or taken to the landfill.”

“If the weather holds we plan to have the demolition complete by the end of the year,” Cerulli added.

An underground diesel tank was removed from the site in May under the supervision of the Department of Environmental Quality.

Landscaping and other enhancement work at the site will take place next spring. Efforts are being made to keep many of the mature trees on the property.

Riverbank Properties, LLC, which is owned by Whitefish venture capitalist Michael Goguen, purchased the 11.67-acre property earlier this year. The real estate company has no specific plans for the property now other than improving the site.

“Long term improvements are being evaluated,” Cerulli added.

The team hired by Two Bear Management to complete the work includes LM Excavating out of Columbia Falls, Ingraham Environmental, Keim Electric and Muonio Mechanical.

The old hospital site was left vacant when North Valley Hospital moved in 2007 to their current campus on the south side of town.

Various proposals to develop the prime real estate have come forward since then, but none have made it beyond speculation.