In Erwin, Tennessee, demolition crews are hard at work at the site of the former Erwin Municipal Building. After a fire consumed the building at the beginning of April, the decision was made to tear down the building. Demolition began on Wednesday, and demolition workers are under a very tight schedule. “We have 23 calendar days to complete the work,” said Dallas Blankenship, superintendent for the D.H. Griffin Wrecking Company.

According to Blankenship, the demolition will be completed in stages. First the debris inside the building will be removed and disposed of. Next, the six man crew of demolition workers will demolish and remove the exterior walls. Finally, the foundation and remaining pieces of the building will be removed. The work is scheduled to be completed on the 25th of June. “Right now, we are still waiting to hear from the town about what to do after that,” Blankenship said. “We will re-grade the property and backfill. It is up to the town on the final stage of the project.” It had been reported that the town is considering building a new civic center on the site.

As the exterior walls come down, one worker’s job is to spray the debris with a hose. By wetting the material, workers hope to minimize the amount of dust and airborne asbestos particles that might be shot into the air during demolition. Airborne asbestos can be deadly, as it is linked to diseases such as lung cancer and pleural mesothelioma. Regarding the asbestos and dust in the debris, Blankenship said “One of our concerns is to maintain clean air quality in the area.”

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