The Olympian

Issue date: 10/24/07 Section: Campus

Media Credit: Sophie Siemion The ball fi nally drops. Rubble from the Math/Science Building waits to be moved.

Media Credit: Chris Carter

Demolition of the old
Math/Science Building was
scheduled to begin Tuesday
and precautions have been
made for the fi nal stages of the
teardown.
The project began when
construction crews from Titan
Earth fi nished up fi nal reviews
and crews and equipment were
fully mobilized.
The actual demolition
will take three to four days,
and removal of the existing
debris will take an additional
20-25 days, said Capital
Projects Coordinator Cathryn
Catledge.
During the demolition,
construction crews will
attempt to salvage all
recyclable materials found
during the demolition and
properly dispose of them in an
environmentally friendly way.
Once the building's walls are
taken down, construction crews
will remove an abandoned
underground heating oil
storage tank on site.
Previously, to meet
Environmental Protection
Agency requirements at
the time, the tank was
filled with concrete to
secure the tank's integrity.
Soil samples of the site are
being monitored to ensure
that the soil is not contaminated.
If any soil is
contaminated, the soil will
be removed and the void
will be filled with fill dirt,
Catledge said.
"This type of tank abandonment
was common at
the time and this is nothing
extraordinary, nor should
it pose any sort of hazard
to the campus community,"
Catledge said.
Catledge said precautions
are in place making
sure that the students,
faculty, and surrounding
buildings are not harmed
during the demolition.
Capital Projects had
contracted an environmental
health and safety company
to monitor air quality
on site during the demolition.
There are three airmonitoring
devices and an
environmental technician
on site monitoring the air,
ensuring people that the
air is safe to breathe.
In addition, new air filters
were installed in the
surrounding buildings,
including the Student
Advisory and Health and
Occupations buildings.
Portable air "scrubbers" or
filters are also onsite for
those in the area who feel
the air in their workspace
is inhospitable.
"One of our main goals
here at Olympic College is
to ensure that the students
and staff are comfortable,"
Catledge said.

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