Hospital plans on buying Good Counsel Hall

Elmore Medical Center has reached a tentative agreement with the Catholic Church diocese to purchase the church land that includes Good Counsel Hall, a spokesman for the hospital confirmed Monday.

An announcement regarding the sale of the property was made during Sunday's services at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Mountain Home.

The separate recreational facility, Good Counsel Hall, is located on N. 8th East St., and includes a baseball diamond. At one time the building was extensively used for community events, but in recent years that use has declined significantly, in part because of a slow deterioration of the facility.

A spokesperson for the hospital said the hospital board agreed at its May 3 meeting on a tentative purchase price, but neither the hospital or the diocese released any details of the tentative agreement Monday, the diocese noting, through a spokesperson, that it preferred not to make an announcement until a final deal was worked out and signed.

The hospital spokesperson stressed that if the deal goes through, the hospital does not anticipate tearing down Good Counsel Hall right away. Although no timeline is available, that spokesperson indicated that the facility would remain available to the community to use "for some time. We don't have an immediate need for it."

Details of the final purchase are being worked out, the spokesperson said, "including a lease agreement for the continued use of the Good Counsel Hall by the Church."

The land is adjacent to hospital property and could be used as part of the hospital's proposed expansion project, if that project goes forward.

"The purchase of this property is part of Elmore Medical Center's long-term strategic plan to provide necessary property for the future growth of Elmore Medical Center and health care services for our communities," the hospital spokesperson said.

The hospital board has not made a final decision on the expansion project, but has been seeking public comment on the plan since the first of the year.

Both the diocese and the hospital said they plan to release more details once the deal for Good Counsel Hall is completed.