BY JONATHAN CANNON

HERALD DEMOCRAT

The Denison Development Alliance started a mass-mailing campaign this week to kick start its marketing of the old Texoma Medical Center facility.

"We are working very closely with DDA to sell Old TMC," said TMC Chief Executive Officer Mackey Watkins.

TMC vacated the building on the north side of Denison after it moved to its new location on U.S. Highway 75. Universal Health Services, the owner of TMC enlisted Denison Development Alliance to help market the facility, and they set to work developing a strategy. But even before dust began to settle on the old building rumors began to fly about its next tenant.

Denison Development Alliance President Tony Kaai said that while the building may one day serve some purpose within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, it won't be as a VA hospital.

"What we are trying to do is find a program that might could use this facility (within the VA system), be we are absolutely positive it will not be a hospital," he said.

There have been no plans or discussion about demolishing the building either, Kaai said. "We're doing everything we know to get the word out about this facility to the private and public entities in the state of Texas and across the country. It is a critical asset to this community and it has potential to be reused for something and create jobs."

Denison Development Alliance is taking what Kaai called a two-pronged approach, focusing on private company with a mailing of more than 1,000 brochures on the area and the facility and a task force to work on navigating the VA system. Denison Development Alliance volunteer Jim Tygart said there are two sets of targeted mailings directed at pharmaceutical and insurance companies and a general set for an array of potential tenants. Kaai said Denison Development Alliance is also opening discussion with Grayson County College on using the facility to train health care workers. "We kind of have a vision of what it could be." The problem, he said, is funding such a project.

Kaai said Denison Development Alliance will begin following up with companies that received the mailings in about a week. In addition to developing leads and feeling out potential buyers, he said the calls will also help direct Denison Development Alliance's efforts to a good fit for the campus.

"We hope to get some intelligence from people we get on the phone," he said.

Tygart said Denison Development Alliance will stager the mailings over the next several weeks, but it will be a long process. At best, Kaai said, it will be a nine-month process. However, a weak economy coupled with uncertainty in the health care industry because of the pending legislation means many companies aren't thinking about expansion. Still no one is throwing in the towel yet.

"Our objective has always been to find a good tenant to occupy that campus, but selling an old hospital is quite a challenge," Watkins said. "I think there are some good leads and the price should be very inviting."