JOPLIN, MO -- The community of Joplin said goodbye to the hospital that was heavily damaged by the tornado that swept through the town in May 2011.

The public watched as a wrecking ball struck the hospital marking the beginning of the demolition process, but the scene was more hopeful than sad for the community.

The service continued with a ground breaking ceremony at the site of the new hospital.

Missouri Highway Patrol transported a wooden cross for the ceremony that once hung in the hospital's emergency department.