Sandwich freezer demolition still underway

Sandwich, Massachusetts - The demolition of the freezer plant which is located alongside Cape Cod Canal is still an ongoing process, and according to Sandwich Fire Prevention Officer J.J. Burke, will enter Phase II this week. The project has already been delayed several times. The first incident occurred in March, after the discovery of roofing shingles which contained asbestos. Officer Burke said at the time that the asbestos in the shingles was encapsulated in roofing tar and wasn’t dangerous. However, the shingles would need to be removed in accordance with state and federal laws that regulate the handling of asbestos. Further delays have come from the requirement of the site to undergo preparation before the asbestos-containing shingles can be removed. Certain interior electrical components had to be removed prior to asbestos removal, to prevent the possibility of contamination. Asbestos waste is three times more expensive to dispose of than non-contaminated waste, so the plan must minimize the possibility of contamination of ‘clean’ waste. Another issue that has held the procedure up was that some sections of the roof would land on adjacent property owned by the Army Corps of Engineers, meaning that the owners of that land also have to approve the plan. The former freezer plant consists of two units, including a two-storey timber-framed building and a single-storey block-and-mortar building. The single-storey building was demolished as part of Phase I of the project, which was completed May 8. Phase II involves the demolition of the two-storey timber-framed unit, but before that can be completed, a plan must be devised to safely deal with the asbestos. Project manager Joe Forns and structural engineer Michelle Cudillo are now working with the Department of Environmental Protection to develop a plan for demolition of the two-storey building, to ensure its asbestos roof is removed safely. The plan involves the removal of the room and its transference to an approved disposal site in Maine. Following the removal of the roof, the remainder of the building can be demolished. A permit may be issued for the new Phase II plan as early as this week. According to Officer Burke, the roof must be removed from the building and the property within 24 hours once the project has been started, as the asbestos debris cannot be allowed to remain at the site any longer than necessary. The roof must be removed first to prevent the possibility of contaminating the rest of the building. Once the plan for removing the roof is approved and the permit is issued, the site’s owner has thirty days in which to demolish the two-storey building. (Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News)