Demolition of Days Inn delayed by asbestos find
By Anessa Myers
Published in News on June 5, 2008 1:46 PM
The demolition of the Days Inn on Wayne Memorial Drive, which was supposed to take place early this month, has been delayed because of asbestos problems.
But Chief Building Inspector Ed Cianfarra said that doesn't mean the motel will be there for long.
The owner, Mark H. Daley III, told Cianfarra he had a letter stating that all of the asbestos had already been removed from the building.
Cianfarra said when he read the letter, it didn't quite state what Daley thought it did.
"Many years ago, prior to establishing the current asbestos abatement program, there was some asbestos removed, but not all of it," Cianfarra said.
The letter, written several years back, was from a hygienist who said the asbestos abatement requirements were filled, he added.
But since then, state mandates on asbestos abatement have changed. Now, the state doesn't just go by what a hygienist says.
"They have to take samples," Cianfarra said. "Everything had to be tested again."
The test results brought bad news.
"The building is full of it," he said.
An asbestos abatement contract has been secured by the owner, the chief building inspector said, and after removal and certification from the state, the building will come down.
Cianfarra said he doesn't estimate the abatement project, and in turn the demolition, to take too long.
"We should be able to tear it down toward the end of the month," he said.
The tractor trailers that are parked in the Days Inn parking lot or around that area will be fined and later towed, he added.
"We want them out of there," he said.
The Days Inn was destroyed by a windstorm last August, and shortly after, Cianfarra declared the structure a "total loss."
The City Council officially condemned the building in February.
Cianfarra said he couldn't comment on what the owners intend to do with the land after the motel is demolished, and phone calls made to Daley's office weren't returned.
A "land for sale" sign appears on a fence surrounding the property on Wayne Memorial Drive, and the asking price is $1.1 million for nearly 3.3 acres.