NATCHEZ — Merit Health Natchez CEO Eric Robinson said the former Natchez Community Hospital building would be demolished by the end of the year, unless a buyer materializes, Robinson said Merit Health has spent approximately $90,000 a month maintaining the unused structure. After two years, the total cost of the abandoned facility is nearly $2 million, Robinson said.

Robinson said the only items of value in the facility are the lights and the generator that would run the hospital. Robinson said anything of functional value was either moved to the Merit Health facility or to a sister hospital where it could be utilized.

Robinson said demolishing the hospital would cost approximately $500,000 to $750,000. Once the hospital is demolished, Robinson said the company plans to sell the land for a future development.

“There have been a couple of parties that had some interest initially, but the renovations that would be required to do anything else would be really expensive,” Robinson said. “If there are options out there (for utilizing the facility), it is still on the table.

“But at this point, nothing has come up and it is going to become a blighted property if we don’t do something.”

Robinson said some of the conversations about purchasing the building included psychiatric and nursing home type facilities.

The 101-bed Natchez Community Hospital opened in 1973 and operated under different owners for more than 40 years. The facility was closed in 2015 after its parent company purchased the county-owned Natchez Regional Medical Center in 2014.

The two hospitals merged and consolidated into the existing Natchez Regional facility and ultimately changed its name to Merit Health Natchez.