Let the demolition begin soon

Billings Public Library Director Bill Cochran is laying 50-50 odds that the parking lot will indeed be constructed on the site of the old Parmly Billings Library before cold temperatures this fall preclude the laying of asphalt.

Removing asbestos from the building is expected to take about two more weeks, he said on Friday. That work will be immediately followed by a Department of Environmental Quality inspection, after which construction work on the parking lot which was originally scheduled to open this summer can begin.

Im cautiously optimistic this time that we will see the start of the (demolition) work the week after next, he said.

Last Monday, the Billings City Council unanimously approved an emergency demolition order for the old building, at 510 N. Broadway. The order calls for the demolition to occur ASAP or as soon after is possible after all environmental impacts have been remediated from the building.

At the same time, the council approved a payment of about $404,000 to Safetech, the citys asbestos abatement contractor, to complete the removal of asbestos before demolition work can proceed. Payment to Safetech for this required work, Cochran wrote in a memorandum to council members, does not constitute acknowledgement by the City that all or any of these costs are the responsibility of the City and reimbursement will be pursued with the responsible parties.

Before the demolition work can resume, debris that fell into the buildings basement must be removed. After that, a vacuum truck will be brought in to clean out the basement.

Then, after the DEQ inspection indicates the site is asbestos-free, the demolition can begin.

The demolition work will proceed faster than it did this spring, Cochran said, because asbestos abatement wont be going on

simultaneously. He said he expects the demolition process to take about three weeks.

If asphalt for the 100-space parking lot cant be laid this fall, there are alternatives that could still allow for the opening of the parking lot in 2014, Cochran said. One option is to use the gravel base for the asphalt lot to park on until next spring, when temperatures warm up.

Continued here:
Let the demolition begin soon