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Demolition of old BP care center up for consideration |
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Wednesday, 15 October 2008 |
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By Mike Gervais
Register Staff
10-14-2008 Big Pine’s dilapidated care center has been the focus of many debates and arguments since its closure in 2000, but the fate of the county-owned building has remained up in the air – until now, that is.
The Inyo County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to discuss the possible demolition of the old care center facilities at its meeting at 9 a.m. today in the Inyo County Administrative Center in Independence.
Over the years, Inyo County has considered renovating the care center to accommodate county offices or selling or leasing it to a private citizen to serve as a summer camp for the handicapped and a myriad of other options that never came to fruition. Today, the board will hear a report from the Inyo County Public Works Department outlining the costs and necessary steps the county must take to demolish the building.
“The demolition included a cost estimate of $400,000 to $500,000, and this price could vary considerably depending upon how much asbestos is discovered in the building prior to demolition,” a demolition report drafted in February 2008 states.
Since that time the county has hired a contractor to survey the building and take samples of building materials that may contain asbestos. “Most of the materials that tested positive were classified as non-friable (or not easily crumbled and unlikely to become airborne),” said the Public Works Department.
Only five of the samples collected by the contractor tested as friable.
According to a Public Works Department report, non-friable asbestos is building material that is “substantially stable,” such as exterior cement siding or walls. If non-friable asbestos in building material is demolished, it can become airborne.
Friable asbestos is already subject to becoming airborne.
“In both cases abatement of these materials must occur prior to demolition,” the Public Works Department report states. “In most cases, friable asbestos can be very expensive to abate. This is because it is typically located in concealed spaces (walls and attics) and because negative pressure and containment must be utilized to perform abatement.”
Because most of the samples taken by the contractor tested as non-friable, the cost estimate for the demolition of the building now stands at $262,061.
Today, the Inyo County Board of Supervisors will review the demolition estimate and ultimately decide if it can find another use for the property and facilities, or if its best course of action is to destroy the remains of the care center.
Over the years, residents from Inyo County and Southern California have gone to the Board of Supervisors with different ideas for the center, asking to purchase or lease the property from the county for various endeavors.
Back in 2006, a Southern California couple seeking to turn the care center into a summer retreat for handicapped Californians was turned down by the county because it lacked funds to get the operation off the ground, and because of fears about the county’s liability should a camper get injured.
Bishop resident Eva Poole-Gilson offered to install an art institute and museum in the broken-down building.
Again, funding and insurance was an issue and the idea was ultimately rejected.
The county has also considered an outright sale of the property, with or without the dilapidated structures still standing.
If the county decides to go that route at its meeting today, it must also consider a lot split that would allow the Inyo County Animal Shelter to continue its operations, or consider relocating the animal shelter.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 25 November 2008 )
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