CRA clears funds and recommends demolition and owners‑rep contracts for former Baptist Hospital; residents demand contamination disclosures

The Pensacola CRA voted to reallocate Westside CRA monies for demolition, carrying costs and owner's‑representative services for the former Baptist Hospital complex and recommended awarding the decommissioning contract to North Star Contracting Group and an owner's‑rep contract to Jacobs Project Management Company.

Staff said the supplemental budget (Resolution 2025‑82) will fund demolition, off‑site processing and carrying costs (landscaping, utilities and security) that the CRA now shoulders after receiving portions of the campus. The board approved reprogramming the funds unanimously, 7–0.

On the procurement items, staff recommended awarding the decommissioning and demolition contract to North Star Contracting Group for $12,776,800 and the owner's‑representative contract to Jacobs for $956,351.35. Staff told the board the demolition scope was reduced (removing the northern parking lots from demolition) to preserve staging and employee parking and saved roughly $300,000 in scope costs. The CRA recommended both awards to City Council and approved the recommendations 7–0.

Several residents raised health and transparency concerns. Sylvia, speaking for Empowered Black Families, cited the Phase I environmental site assessment and listed past site issues the report flagged — underground storage tanks, soil staining, possible asbestos and lead paint in building materials — and asked when and how the public would be briefed on what contaminants are present and what protections are being used during demolition.

City staff and board members responded that environmental risk factored heavily into the contractor evaluations, that the recommended contractor has experience handling contaminated material, and that the procurement and owner's‑rep arrangements include mitigation measures: no on‑site crushing where practicable, off‑site processing of contaminated material, water suppression, filtration and sanitary disposal. North Star’s representative told the board trucks would use major roads chosen to avoid residential streets, that water used to suppress dust would be collected and filtered, and that contaminated wastes would be landfilled per required permits.

Board members asked for firm public reporting and community outreach. Staff said the owner’s representative and redevelopment advisor will coordinate demolition logistics, trucking routes and monthly reporting to the CRA and the surrounding neighborhood, and that a public outreach plan will be developed before demolition staging.

Votes and next steps: CRA adopted the Westside reallocation (Resolution 2025‑82) 7–0 and recommended City Council award the demolition contract and owner's‑rep. If City Council approves the awards, staff said demolition will proceed under environmental controls specified in the contract documents and overseen by the owner's‑rep.

Why it matters: The demolition and subsequent redevelopment of the former Baptist Hospital site are central to the CRA’s stated mission to eliminate blight in the Westside district; residents and board members emphasized the need for environmental safeguards and equitable contracting practices for local and minority businesses.