A major cleanup and demolition project at the former Northwest Georgia Regional Hospital property in Rome is expected to get underway next month, and the public will have an opportunity to learn more about the work before it begins.

The Rome-Floyd County Development Authority will hold a community meeting on Monday, October 12, to provide an update on plans for the Battey Business Complex, the former hospital campus in West Rome.

Cleanup and demolition work is currently expected to begin on or about October 27.

The Development Authority received a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Brownfields Cleanup Grant in 2024 to address environmental concerns at the property, including asbestos-containing materials, lead-contaminated soil and other hazardous materials.

A separate HUD grant was obtained to help pay for demolition of buildings at the site.

The October 12 meeting will provide information about the goals of the project and the logistics involved in carrying out the cleanup and demolition. Brief presentations are expected from the project’s design engineer and the contractor selected to perform the work.

The work marks another major step in efforts to redevelop the sprawling former hospital property.

The site has a long history in Northwest Georgia. It originally served as Battey General Hospital during World War II and later became a tuberculosis treatment facility. It eventually became the state-operated Northwest Georgia Regional Hospital before closing in 2011.

More recently, the property was considered for a large data center development. That proposal was withdrawn this summer after officials said the site would have faced a lengthy wait for the electrical capacity needed for the project. Development Authority officials have said the aging buildings are now in significant disrepair and that redevelopment of the property will require extensive demolition.

The property remains zoned for heavy industrial use, and officials have said its redevelopment must ultimately be tied to job creation.

The October 12 community meeting begins at 5:30 PM at the Rome-Floyd County Development Authority office at 800 Broad Street, Suite 102 in Rome. The meeting will also be available online through Microsoft Teams.