Echoes of Hope: Documentary on the former Northwest Georgia Regional Hospital in the works

Friday, October 10, 2024–12:25 p.m.

-David Crowder, WRGA News-

As preparations continue for the next phase of the former Northwest Georgia Regional Hospital property, a documentary is in the works, looking back at the history of the complex.

The Rome-Floyd County Development Authority acquired the 132 acres from the state of Georgia and plans to turn that into an industrial park. In addition to serving as a mental hospital, the facility has also served as a tuberculosis hospital and a military hospital.

According to Rome-Floyd Development Authority President and CEO Missy Kendrick, the documentary will be called “Echoes of Hope.”

“It’s named that because of the ‘Trees of Hope’ that used to be done at Christmastime out there every year,” she said. “The whole community seems to know about the trees, and the purpose of the documentary is to memorialize the impact that the hospital has had on our community over the years.”

Even the new name—Battey Business Complex—pays homage to the history of the site.

“We just want to make sure that memory is not lost when those buildings come down,” Kendrick said.

A couple of industries have already expressed interest in the site and Kendrick hopes to close on one of those by the end of the year.

The site is considered a Brownfield site by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which means there is a presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.  The development authority has gotten federal grant money for remediation of the site. There was also the presence of asbestos and lead paint. So, many of the buildings will have to be demolished, but some will be spared.

“One of the purchases from an existing industry includes one of the buildings, so we will sell that building with the property,” Kendrick said. “We are also going to keep the chapel, and we are going to keep the pavilions and make them available for employee gatherings.”

They are also going to keep what is called “the gym,” which is one of the largest and most centrally located buildings on the site.

“We’re going to have a daycare center in that in that facility,” Kendrick said. “If you have children of daycare age, you know how difficult it is to find daycare and how expensive it is. We are going to have that as an incentive for industries to come in and make that daycare available to their employees.”

According to Kendrick, demolition at the site could begin as soon as the first of 2025.

Kendrick was a guest on Thursday’s WRGA ‘s First News with Doug Walker.

You can get more information about the documentary on the Rome-Floyd County Development Authority’s Facebook page.