JOPLIN, Mo -- The building is gutted and workers are now removing the floors. They were not supposed to be this far along until September.
"You can't drive by without seeing it torn and tattered. Now that it's coming down, it looks more wounded than it has before. Many employees are in an agreement. We are ready for it to all be down now," said Angie Saporito, with Mercy.
It's a very tedious project. No explosives can be used because the building is on land once used for mining.
Mercy has donated some of the land to Joplin Public Schools. Two elementary schools will be built near the site of the old hospital. City officials are also considering building a museum.
Bryon Haverstick loves to bring his son Jason to the park that's next to the old hospital. He moved to Joplin just ten days before the tornado hit. He lost everything but his family.
After months of working towards normalcy, he wants his neighborhood to reflect progress too.
