PAXTON — Hoopeston Community Memorial Hospital has purchased the old hospital building in Paxton, but officials remain tight-lipped on the details of the deal.

Chief Executive Officer Harry Brockus confirmed Tuesday that the hospital in Hoopeston purchased the 80-year-old, two-story brick building at 651 E. Pells St., Paxton. But Brockus declined to disclose the hospital's plans for the building because not everything has been finalized, including "discussions with the city."

Brockus said the city and his hospital expect to make a "combined formal public announcement" about the hospital's plans "in a few months."

Paxton Mayor Bill Ingold said Tuesday that the city is grateful the building was bought, adding that he looks forward to discussing options for the building with Hoopeston Community Memorial Hospital officials.

The sale of the hospital building to Hoopeston Community Memorial Hospital was recorded in the Ford County clerk and recorder's office on April 29, according to the clerk's office. The building had been owned by the Association of Independent Baptist Churches of Illinois.

The sale price was $50,000, according to the county clerk's office. Twin City Realty in Champaign, which was marketing the building for sale for more than a year, had listed a sale price of $179,000 for the building in January 2010.

The Hoopeston hospital's purchase of the building did not involve Carle Foundation Hospital, according to Carle spokesman Sean Williams. Carle announced in March that it plans to acquire Hoopeston's community hospital and its three medical clinics if state regulators approve the sale.

Under the acquisition plan, Carle would acquire all the primary-care facilities of the Hoopeston Regional Health Center, including the 25-bed Hoopeston Community Memorial Hospital, the Charlotte Ann Russell Medical Center in Hoopeston and two small clinics in Cissna Park and Rossville. It remained unclear whether the Paxton hospital building would also eventually be acquired by Carle.

"Anything that Hoopeston (hospital) does is (the decision of) the Hoopeston (hospital) board, because we're still going through the certificate of need process, which is the approval needed by state regulatory agencies in order for us to integrate," Williams explained. "That process probably won't be concluded until 2012, so at this point, this does not involve Carle."