Demolition of old library delayed again

The building that once housed the Billings Public Library is coming down slowly, almost as if brick by brick.

The structure now resembles a war-torn building instead of what the space is intended to be, a parking lot.

Disagreements between the contractor, Jackson Contractor Group, and demolition subcontractor LM Excavating have brought the project to a halt.

Jackson Contractor Group Vice-President Greg Hebner said the subcontractors deviation from the original demolition plan is part of what caused the delay.

They moved away from the demolition plan and we stopped the demolition for now, Hebner said. The project will move forward once they resubmit a demolition plan and it is approved.

LM Excavating had no comment Thursday.

In addition to the disagreement, unidentified materials found in the demolition remnants needed further testing, such as for asbestos. Hebner said the company is working with the City of Billings to properly dispose of the materials.

Once the testing is done, the demolition should be able to move forward.

Hebner hopes the new plan will be submitted by the end of next week so demolition can resume.

All of the unknowns should be uncovered and we should move forward as planned, Hebner said.

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Demolition of old library delayed again