COBY SCHOOLHOUSE DEMO TO BEGIN SOON
By Kirk Winter
The demolition of the old Coboconk schoolhouse originally planned for December of 2019 is set to begin in mid-February 2020, according to the Municipal Law Enforcement division of CKL. The project that was slated to be completed in four weeks has now stretched out to a 10-week demolition, allaying local fears that material separation and hazardous waste material removal was not going to be done in a safe and timely manner.
The schoolhouse, once a Coboconk landmark, has been in private hands for a number of years. Many locals hoped the graceful old building would be restored to its former beauty, but instead it fell into a state of disrepair with the new owner doing little upkeep on the historic property.
Complaints from neighbours to Municipal Law Enforcement caused the City to enter into seemingly never-ending conversations with the property owner about upkeep that broke down in 2018. A main supporting wall and a section of the roof have collapsed causing the building to deteriorate even more quickly than it was before. The City finally ordered the demolition of the building before someone was hurt, with the cost of the entire process being billed back to the registered property owner.
Last fall, a demolitions firm was selected and awarded the contract for the building at a cost of around $90,000. Heritage home renovators that I spoke to questioned the timeline for the demolition and the cost, wondering if the winning bidder had even been in the building to search for biohazards like lead paint and asbestos which were likely present in a building of that age.
When shown the new timeline, these same individuals, with decades experience in heritage home restoration, felt the new timelines being proposed were much more in line with accepted industry practice and should have been in place in the original bid.
The new timeline for demolition is as follows:
Mobilization and set up by mid-February 2020
February to March 2020 containment domes for material separation and hazardous material removal
April 2020 demolition and backfill/grading
While many in Coboconk will be sad to see the old schoolhouse demolished, there is relief from neighbours that the job will be done carefully and correctly with concern for the environment and neighbours’ health.