NATCHEZ — The Adams County Board of Supervisors agreed Friday to finalize documents for the upcoming sale of Natchez Regional Medical Center, as well as an agreement dealing with an existing helicopter pad at the county-owned hospital.

Members of the board passed a resolution allowing the board president and vice president to execute sales documents that county board attorney Scott Slover said were necessary to accomplish the sale of the hospital next week to Community Health Systems, based in Franklin, Tenn.

The motion passed unanimously with little discussion or emotion from board members.

“I was born in that hospital and that hospital has always had a special place in my heart, so this was not an easy thing for me to do,” Board President Darryl Grennell said. “I’ve always been against selling the hospital, but when we have multiple experts telling us this is now a one hospital town because of the population … we had to do it.”

Slover said some of the documents approved Friday would include information that won’t be available until the day of the sale, but said he wanted to have them prepared in advance.

If any changes are made, Slover said he would bring finalized documents before the board at their next meeting for approval.

NRMC filed bankruptcy in late March, in the midst of an effort to sell the county-owned hospital. The sale was officially awarded to CHS earlier this month, though it is pending the approval of the bankruptcy court.

If the court approves the sale Monday, the sale will close Tuesday.

Slover also requested board members approve an interlocal agreement between the county, Adams County Airport and the Mississippi Department of Transportation regarding the helipad behind NRMC’s building.

The helipad, Slover said, was purchased with an $181,000 grant with an agreement that it would be operated and maintained by the county.

With the sale of the county-owned hospital to a private company, the county would no longer be operating the helipad.

“Since we’re selling the hospital, we’re liable to repay that grant since we’re not operating anymore,” Slover said.

The county came to an agreement with MDOT, Slover said, that frees the county from repaying the remaining amount of the grant, which is nearly $100,000, as long as CHS continues operating that existing helipad or a new helipad the company may construct in the future.

The county would also receive a credit each year of $8,000 as long as CHS operates a helipad. Those funds will go toward paying back the grant.

“In the event they stop or build a new site without a helipad, for instance, we would have to pay back whatever is remaining on the grant,” Slover said.

Supervisor David Carter said he felt as if the county was getting the short end of the stick with the deal.

“They should be responsible,” Carter said. “They could abandon it next week, and then we have to pay.”

Slover said ownership of the helipad, including all operations and maintenance costs, would transfer to CHS, and that the county would only become liable for the payments if CHS stopped using a helipad at the site.

“I’m not saying it’s a good deal, but you know the situation with the hospital right now … we don’t have a lot of choices,” Slover said. “We’re doing the best we can under the circumstances.”

Slover said the county should be grateful to MDOT for agreeing to the interlocal agreement instead of simply demanding the remaining funds be paid.

The motion for the interlocal agreement passed unanimously.

Supervisor Angela Hutchins voted on all motions via telephone conference.