POMEROY — Meigs County Commissioners would consider demolition of the Veterans Memorial Hospital to allow construction of a new multi-purpose senior center, health clinic or other facility to serve the public if new construction funds are available.

Meeting Thursday, Meigs County Commissioners discussed a need for more space for county operations, senior programs and health care services with Jeri Dahler, field representative for U.S. Rep. Charlie Wilson, D-Bridgeport.

The hospital building has been unused and vacant for nearly a decade, but the space it occupies on Mulberry Heights could be made available for new construction if stimulus funds or other grant opportunities would provide the means to build, commissioners said yesterday.

The Meigs County Council on Aging is out of space for its programs and considering several re-location options. There is no additional space for an addition to the 25 year-old building, which the council shares with the county health department and Woodland Centers.

Commissioner Mick Davenport said the county has requested funds from Wilson through a federal appropriations bill for part of the cost of a new senior center, in the event new construction is an option.

Family Health Care, the federally-qualified health center now serving patients in Middleport, will request funds for new construction through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Davenport said those funds are not expected to be awarded until summer, but said the county will work with the non-profit FQHC to find a suitable location, if it asks for such assistance.

Commissioner Thomas Anderson also pointed to a need for additional space for county offices, and particular for records storage. Courthouse records are now stored in space at the courthouse, in the Anderson’s furniture store building downtown, and in the old hospital building.

Wilson is expected to make a visit with Meigs County officials later this month, Dahler said, and could tour possible building sites at that time.

Commissioners have said renovating the hospital building for use by the county or agencies is not a practical solution, but said yesterday its building site, near the current senior center, would be ideal for new construction.

Commissioners have requested funding through ARRA for construction of a new 24-hour emergency room, but that facility, if funding is awarded, would likely be built at a site owned by the Community Improvement Corporation at Rocksprings.

“Health care is the number one priority with us,” Anderson said.