Tuesday, March 18, 2025–9:00 p.m.
-David Crowder, WRGA News-
The Rome-Floyd County Development Authority has closed on the sale of just over 20 acres in the Battey Business Center, which is the former Northwest Georgia Regional Hospital site in West Rome.
RTLA, which is owned by the shareholders of VT Industries, paid $1.6 million for the land and a building.
The development authority approved a corporate resolution ratification as part of the sale on Wednesday.
It was also announced Wednesday that development authority CEO Missy Kendrick has been invited to attend the Georgia Brownfield Association’s annual conference in April where she will be a panelist, discussing the Battey Business Center project.
The reason for that is that the scope of the project—trying to go in and assess all of the hazardous materials on site—and then move into remediation and demolition,” Kendrick said. “How quickly we were able to get that assessment done and spend the assessment grant that we got from EPA because we’re down to just a few dollars left on the assessment grant before we close that out, and that gave us kind of like extra credit when we applied for the $2 million cleanup grant.”
At the time only four cleanup grants were being offered nationwide.
“I think because of the way that we have handled our grant with the Environmental Protection Agency, they asked us to come and speak about that, and kind of talk to the other communities that are going to be there,” Kendrick added.
According to development authority chair Jimmy Byars, Rome and Floyd County being in the spotlight at the conference is a big deal.
It puts this right in the state spotlight,” he said. “It’s recognition for Missy for the job she did, as well as the work of staff with her. That’s pretty cool. She’s one of the headliners, so that’s good for Rome and Floyd County.”
The site began as the Battey General Hospital, which was used during World War II. It eventually became a state-run and nationally recognized tuberculosis treatment facility and a state mental health treatment campus before being shut down in 2011.
