The city of Vicksburg has entered into an agreement with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality for the demolition of Kuhn Memorial Hospital.

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen Friday approved and agreement, which is part of the city’s $400,000 federal Brownfields grant to demolish and clear the property.

The estimated cost of the demolition and cleanup is $615,000.

“Basically, what it means is that we will meet with DEQ and set a schedule to clean the property and we agree to follow that schedule,” community development director Victor Grey-Lewis said. He added DEQ inspectors will periodically go to the site to ensure the contractor keeps to the schedule.

The board in February advertised for bids to remove asbestos from the buildings, demolish them and clean and clear the property, including removing an underground diesel storage tank containing 4,000 gallons of fuel.

Grey-Lewis said five companies have picked up bid packets for the project. The bids are expected to be opened April 25.

The city officially took title to the Kuhn property Nov.1, 2016, after reaching agreements with the four parties that had interests in the property.

The decision to acquire the property came after the board in April 2016 approved a resolution adopting and authorizing a 33-page urban renewal plan to first demolish the buildings on the property and clear it, then begin the process of finding a developer or nonprofit agency to develop it into a multipurpose residential/commercial development with recreational facilities.