Demolition of the former St. Luke’s Palmerton Hospital remains on target.

Joe Pinto, Chief Operating Officer, St. Luke’s Carbon, said the project has been moving along nicely.

“We’re just so happy with this project and how it’s coming along,” Pinto said. “It’s been going pretty smoothly considering what had to happen taking down a large building of that size; we couldn’t be happier.”

Pinto said the project is on schedule. The entire building is down, and they are working on foundation removal (the footings and concrete that supported the hospital).

“They crush the concrete on site to make it easier to remove and prepare it,” he said. “After that’s finished, that prepares us for backfill and subsequent grading and top soil.”

Pinto reiterated that St. Luke’s is pleased with the progress that’s been made at the site.

“We’re thrilled, especially with a project of this magnitude,” he said. “We have been sticking with our schedule, and are thrilled with how it’s been progressing.”

Pinto said the project is still on track for completion by the middle to end of July.

Specific details as to what happens from that point remain to be seen.

“It’s still the same plan as we’ve had from the beginning,” Pinto said. “Turn it into a nice, beautiful green space for the community.

Demolition of the one-time pillar of health care got underway in February.

Previously, demolition had been expected to begin this past November, however, John Nespoli, president of St. Luke’s Carbon and Lehighton campuses, said cleaning out the building and doing internal demo prep took longer than anticipated.

A rather large crowd gathered for a Remembrance Ceremony held Oct. 27 at the former St. Luke’s Palmerton Hospital one last time.

Speakers included former Palmerton Hospital President/CEO Peter Kern, Dr. Edward Miller, and Nicole Baker, RN.

St. Luke’s closed the Lafayette Avenue campus after it acquired Blue Mountain Health System and began its construction of the new St. Luke’s Carbon Campus in Franklin Township.

Demolition had originally been slated for 2020, but the pandemic and other delays pushed back the timeline.

St. Luke’s officials originally told Palmerton Chamber members they planned to demolish the existing building to make room for a senior housing community or a health care facility.

St. Luke’s officials said renovations for the building, if it was upgraded, would have come in around $30 million or more.

In recent years, St. Luke’s has invested more than $200 million in Carbon County health care, replacing the outdated Palmerton facility with the new Carbon County Campus as well as various other new facilities and expanded offerings in Palmerton.

Virtually every major specialty is available at the St. Luke’s Health Center on Delaware Avenue. Services include an integrated model of obstetrics, gynecology and pediatrics.