Contracts for the demolition of old prisons begin this month

BRANCH COUNTY — County Administrator Bud Norman told commissioners the “old jail” will be finally demolished by Aug. 17, after the commission approves the final contracts necessary to complete the work.

The 70-year-old building, which closed in October 2021 when the new jail opened, is located on Marshall Road in front of the new facility.

Handy Excavating of Quincy was the lowest of six bids at $325,500, and Detroit-area Right Way was the subcontractor to remove and legally dispose of asbestos from the old building.

The Commissioners awarded the main order on May 28.

Norman said the top three bids were under $500,000, and he and engineers estimated the value of the project.

Asbestos was used as a material for insulating pipes and ducts and was used in floor tiles.

Although the hazardous materials at the prison were not hazardous, their removal, which could cause rock fibers to spread through the air, is considered hazardous.

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Norman said both companies’ credentials were good. “Even though the name is mining, they do a lot of demolition work,” Norman said.

Right Way will be removing asbestos 12 to 10 hours a day starting June 17.

Norman said Handy Excavating will begin demolition on July 8 and complete the work by August 17.

The company must provide all documentation for the work by Aug. 30 in order for Branch County to have until Sept. 30 to certify the work under a state brownfield grant.

Norman said the county will withhold 10% of the order until the documentation is complete.

Last fall, the county applied for and received a $145,800 grant for asbestos removal, which will be repaid once the work is completed. The application to the state must be submitted by the end of the state’s fiscal year.

Last Thursday, the commission approved a $16,200 contract for SME engineers to certify the company’s emissions-abatement work daily.

SMEs will also monitor Handy weekly to ensure work is in line with the contract.

According to Norman, the contractor will recycle some of the concrete. The rest will go to the Turkeyville Landfill in Calhoun County.

The concrete block building was originally home to the Maple Lawn Nursing Home in 1955 and was converted into a prison in the late 1980s.

After the new jail opened, Norman told commissioners that demolition funds must be raised from the amount approved by voters in August 2018. The county is accumulating 1.25 mills over 20 years to finance the $29 million project.

County Treasurer Steve Rutz said there is more than $650,000 in the construction fund.

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One part of the old prison will remain. After converting the nursing home, the county added a maximum security unit.

Norman said it will remain an unheated facility to store animal control items such as cat litter and maintenance supplies and equipment.

— Contact Don Reid: [email protected]