It's been six months since St. Mary's Hospital moved to its new home on Mission Drive just east of Missouri 179.
However, the fate of the old hospital complex remains undecided, and the Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce formed a task force looking for ways to re-use the site.
"We've been meeting periodically over the last couple of months, just trying to turn over as many rocks as we could," former mayor John Landwehr, the task force chairman, said in an interview this week.
A year ago, area officials were pushing for the Legislature to pass a $6 million appropriation, so the state could renovate the complex, which St. Mary's agreed to donate with certain restrictions.
Gov. Jay Nixon in January 2014 endorsed the idea Lincoln University's nursing education program and its proposed new hospitality industry degree and State Technical College of Missouri's medical technology program, would be housed in the old hospital complex.
Then, after backing the plan, Nixon vetoed the funding when lawmakers included the idea the state transportation department's headquarters offices also could be moved to the old complex, so the Legislature could take control of the Highway Building just east of the Capitol.
Everything fell back to "square one."
"Money is always an issue," Landwehr said. "The problem with the state withdrawing its support is that the economics of bringing Lincoln and the State Technical College to the site all of a sudden get very problematic.
"At this point, the state budget process is pretty challenging, and we are not planning on the level of support that was there last year."
However, the task force still wants a plan where Lincoln and State Tech are key players.
"Every economic development study tells us that increasing educational opportunities and creating a more educated workforce are absolutely critical," Landwehr said. "What we have here is the opportunity to bring two very good educational institutions - that are already doing a very good job - and enhancing their presence in Jefferson City."
Meanwhile, St. Mary's officials in Jefferson City and at SSM Health's St. Louis corporate headquarters are conducting their own search for someone to take over the nine-acre complex.
Becki Collier, St. Mary's marketing and communications consultant, told the News Tribune, "We have had some preliminary inquiries. However, no specific plans have been presented; all interested parties have asked to remain confidential at this point.
"We plan to leave the old hospital complex on the market indefinitely."
She said SSM Health has not given the chamber's task force a specific timeline to come up with a solution.
However, Landwehr acknowledged some in the community think SSM is ready to knock down the old hospital complex as a way to make the site more marketable.
"We've also been told that the costs to keep the property heated and cooled and maintained is quite substantial every year," he explained. "So, even though we know of no firm deadline, we have been cautioned that - if something is going to come forward - we'll have to be showing some progress in the near future."
Collier said SSM Health is focused on repurposing the facility and is not making plans to raze the complex.
The old hospital complex is on the west side of Missouri Boulevard. However, SSM also owns a parking lot and a couple of buildings on the east side, closer to Wear's Creek.
"The two buildings that are across the street from the main campus, 505 and 509 Missouri Blvd., are in the process of being razed in the coming months," Collier said. "We feel this will actually increase the value of the entire site and will improve our ability to repurpose the main campus site.
"This property can be sold separately from the main campus site or together with it - depending on the buyer's needs."
So far, the chamber's task force has been meeting privately. It is not a public body and not covered by the state's open meetings law.
This week, the meeting included Missouri Development Finance Board Executive Director Bob Miserez.
"They are really experts at various types of tax credits programs and initiatives," Landwehr said. "(Miserez) probably knows more about those programs than anybody else in the state, we thought it would be good that Bob would be available to help coordinate any kind of public financing, tax credits, brown fields - you know, the whole alphabet soup of potential economic development incentives."
However, Landwehr added, no one should believe Miserez' presence reflects a new state commitment to the old St. Mary's project.
Landwehr said community input is welcome.
"If anyone does have some ideas, or wants some more information, they can check with Randy Allen or myself," he said. "We don't have any concrete plans but, if people in the community have an idea they think would make sense, we're ready to listen."
Landwehr said people should email him at his law office: [email protected] or email Chamber President Randy Allen at [email protected].