Demo project almost complete at former asbestos-laden siteCuyahoga Falls, Ohio - In Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, the State Road Shopping Center demolition project is nearing completion, with the project about 75% complete. The city owns the 24 acre plot, and it is expected that once the buildings and debris have been hauled away, developer Stark Enterprises will rejuvenate the site.
The demo, which began in late August, is well underway, with hundreds of square feet of buildings knocked down and soil remediation complete. Jones & Associates Excavating of Akron were paid $249,995 to clean up the contaminated soil.
"Basically, they took away the dirty [soil], kept the clean and then brought more clean in," explained Jennifer Syx, the city's deputy director of community development, "and now what they're doing is compacting it and leveling it."
Elsewhere on the site, workers from B&B Wrecking of Cleveland were breaking up concrete to be cleaned up and recycled. "When all the asbestos is lifted, clean concrete is crushed and used for fill and all the bad stuff is abated and hauled away," Syx said.
"Asbestos removal was the first activity to occur at the site, which began on Aug. 3," added Susan Truby, director of community development. Asbestos was commonly used in the 1950s, when the complex was built. "Therefore, asbestos materials were prevalent throughout most of the buildings."
Asbestos exposure is linked to the development of mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer. The majority of patients lose their battle with this cancer in less than two years following diagnosis. The city is paying B&B about $993,000 for asbestos removal and other work, said Truby.
