Demolition on Largest Building on Foundry Site to Begin This Week

 this week as the contractors look to demolish a portion of the largest building on the site.

In 2009, the town filed a lawsuit to take the Foundry by eminent domain from its owner. The owner filed a counter lawsuit and this fall the Town Council approved a plan that paved the way and , where iron castings were once made. The  just before the first of the year. 

Demolition is set to begin on Thursday on the largest building on the site, which is also known as "Building E." However, it will be broken into three areas for demolition purposes, according to attorney Michael F. Romano, who represents the developer, Riverfront Future Partners.

An overall survey was previously conducted on the property to find areas with lead, asbestos and other hazardous materials, he said. One of the sections of the "Building E," which is located to the west of Pratt Street, required standard remediation prior to physical demolition, Romano added.

Cherry Hill Construction, Inc., which is also a remediation services company, recently completed the remediation and now that section of “Building E" can be demolished, Romano said.

However, Cherry Hill Construction cannot perform the remediation on the other two sections of the building because those portions of the building could collapse, which are unsafe for the company’s workers. The construction company has submitted an Alternative Work Practice plan to the Connecticut Department of Health, Romano said.

Once the state approves the Alternative Work Practice plan, demolition on those sections can begin, he said.

Three buildings on the site have already been demolished to grade, Romano said.

A water truck and a backhoe were brought to the site Wednesday, according to an email from Richard Vicino, who is handling the demolition. Crews spent a portion of the day repairing the protective fence at the rear of the property and demolition is expected to continue tomorrow, he added.

Romano wanted to be clear that the company is taking its time to make sure the project is completed safely and correctly and that is causing the delay in the demolition.

“We are proceeding cautiously,” he said. “You got to do it right,”