Jan. 31 marked the one year anniversary of the closing of Hartselle Medical Center. It’s still a sad day in our community’s history, as we lost our hospital, which had been with us through most of the last century.

All that’s left now is an empty building that was gutted of its medical equipment, some of which has been put to good use after it was donated to a hospital in Guatemala.

Since all of that happened last year, it seems like very little has occurred since then.

And while Huntsville Hospital purchased the building shortly after it closed last year, there’s been very little activity at what used to be one of the main hubs in Hartselle.

There have been many conversations about the new building. Some have been pure speculation while others have come from Huntsville Hospital officials.

It seems like Huntsville Hospital is committed to doing something in Hartselle, but hospital leaders have also been in the process of creating the new Decatur Morgan Hospital. That includes the campuses of Decatur General Hospital, Parkway Medical Center and the former Hartselle Medical Center.

It’s unlikely that we will ever get a full-service hospital back here, but my hope is that something will happen soon here. It could be ancillary facilities or maybe even convert it to an office complex.

Whatever happens, let’s hope it will happen sooner rather than later.

Brent Maze is the managing editor of the Hartselle Enquirer.