Council approves asbestos abatement and demolition of old Freeman Hospital to clear way for affordable housing

The Joplin City Council on April 21 approved emergency contracts to remediate asbestos and demolish the old Freeman Hospital, a move staff said is necessary to clear the site for future affordable housing.

City staff and consultants described environmental findings at the long-vacant hospital that include asbestos, lead-based paint, mold and unlabeled 55‑gallon drums in the basement. Rand Raglan of Terracon said the firm completed a phase 1 environmental site assessment in December 2024 and observed drums and an old incinerator; some drums appeared empty but many were corroded enough that contents could not be identified. “We saw a couple of blue drums that appeared empty and other 55‑gallon drums in poor condition with no content labels,” Raglan said in his presentation.

The city advertised separate bids for asbestos abatement and demolition; staff recommended and council accepted Environmental Operations Inc.’s low abatement bid of $63,900 and Denton Excavating’s demolition bid of $331,300. Bolander, presenting the procurement details, said total project costs including prior environmental and administrative work amount to approximately $407,342 and that 50% of the expense will be covered by the city’s ARPA funds and 50% by a state ARPA grant. Council voted 9–0 to approve council bills 2025‑352 (asbestos abatement) and 2025‑354 (demolition) on an emergency basis.

Neighbors and community groups urged caution. Mary Price, a local resident and community advocate, told the council she feared improper handling could jeopardize future federal grant eligibility and said she had already taken documentation to state and federal oversight bodies. “This isn’t just about one building. This is about restoring integrity in our local government,” Price said, urging review by oversight agencies and greater transparency on how funds were obligated.

Tara Johnston, a neighbor who lives across from the site, described repeated trespass and a recent break‑in that she says almost injured children playing in the alley. “Somebody almost killed my grandkids,” Johnston said. She asked what the city will do immediately to protect residents while the building remains standing.

Council members and staff addressed those concerns in public discussion. Staff said the asbestos remediation scope requires licensed abatement work prior to demolition and that additional testing (including lab packing and characterization of drums) will be part of pre‑demolition activities. City staff also committed to containment and dust‑control measures during abatement and demolition and said contractors must follow EPA and Missouri DNR guidance for lead and asbestos removal. “We’ll require best practices to contain dust on site and have the remediator test and safely manage any suspect drums,” a staff presenter said.

The council also heard from representatives of Economic Security Corporation (ESC) and the Joplin Economic Housing Development Initiative (JEDI) about plans to follow demolition with construction of affordable rental duplexes, targeted in part to seniors and veterans. Ryan Peterson of ESC said the nonprofit secured a donation of land to support development, while Scott Clayton of Joplin Area Habitat for Humanity said JEDI would pursue rental housing to bridge gaps for first‑time buyers.

What’s next: staff said asbestos remediation will be completed before demolition begins; drum sampling and any required hazardous‑materials handling will be added to the scope as needed, and the ESC/JEDI partnership will be memorialized in a separate MOU or cooperation agreement. The council closed the item with unanimous emergency approvals so abatement and demolition can proceed under the stated funding plan.

Vote record: council bills 2025‑352 (asbestos abatement) and 2025‑354 (demolition) passed on emergency basis 9–0. A related cooperative agreement with Economic Security Corporation (council bill 2025‑271) was taken up and advanced on first reading.