“The demolition has been going very well. We’re pleased with the progress that has been made; we’re pleased that the outside wall, specifically the north wall, was taken down without any damage to the adjoining remaining structure. The sidewalks have been protected during demolition; the little ornamental trees have been protected during the demolition, so we’re very pleased with what’s going on so far,” Weaver explained.
As of now, Weaver said, the structure is down and everything has been removed except the vault. The crew is working on separating bricks as much as possible to allow them to be used in other projects, minimizing the amount of refuse that goes to the landfill. After that’s done, Weaver said the area will be cleared and the basement broken up as per the bid specifications; following that, however, Weaver said the city has not yet decided how the empty space will be used.
“The first thing that will happen is once all the material has been removed from the site and the side walls and the footings are removed to the specifications in the bid, then the whole site will be compacted and filled with dirt. It will be seeded, so it’s got some surface protection and there won’t be any erosion, until such a time as the city council can determine what it wants to do with the land – whether it wants to make it into a pocket park, or parking, or whatever. It would be nice if somebody came along and said they want to put up a structure. That’s not been the recent history, but you don’t know,” said Weaver.
The remaining wall of the adjoining building will undergo waterproofing for preservation, and Weaver said he expects the work to be done this week. Discussion is expected to begin soon between the mayor, city council and the Starke County Economic Development Foundation regarding how to use the new space.
