A landmark at Sheppard Air Force Base is biting the dust, literally.
The 63-year-old hospital building and adjacent medical clinic is being chipped away and pulled down by wrecking cranes.
On Wednesday, some of the top brass at the base, including Col. Samuel Mink, 82nd Training Wing commander, took turns at the crane in a ceremonial gesture at the hospital that was once a stopping place for many of the prisoners of war who returned from Vietnam.
Teresa Rose, the base’s engineering flight chief, said the cost of the demolition will be $7.5 million, and the work is scheduled to be completed in December. The project is running about two months behind schedule because of delays that included the the discovery of asbestos that had to be abated.
Rose said attempts were initially made to renovate the hospital, a multi-story building that could be seen miles away on some roads, but the structure had too many issues to resolve.
She also said the demolition is part of the U.S. Department of War’s effort to consolidate space and reduce maintenance costs.
The department is formally known as the Department of Defense.
In 2005, Sheppard lost an estimate 2,600 medical and flight personnel in a Base Realignment and Closure move by the federal government, according to a May 18, 2005, article in the Times Record News.
Rose said a medical clinic that opened on base in 2022 now meets Sheppard’s medical needs and is in a prime location for airmen, dependents and retirees.
She said there are no present plans for use of the hospital grounds.
“So it’s going to be basically returned to a grassy space for the future”, she said.
(This story was updated to add new photos.)
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: UPDATED Landmark building at Sheppard AFB comes a-tumblin’ down
Reporting by Lynn Walker, Wichita Falls Times Record News / Wichita Falls Times Record News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Lynn Walker, Wichita Falls Times Record News | USA TODAY Network
