Demolition bids due for Southview High building

Lorain City Schools will move closer to demolishing the former Southview High School.

On May 30, the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission was scheduled to receive bids from companies seeking to remove asbestos and take down the 1969 building at 2270 E. 42nd St., South Lorain.

Once the building is cleared, Lorain Schools CEO David Hardy Jr. has said the open area could become a new space for athletic and recreational facilities.

The project is estimated to cost $1 million for demolition and $515,000 for asbestos abatement.

Contractors have the option to bid on demolition, asbestos removal or both.

It was unclear exactly when the next step will be in the demolition process. Exact details on the proposed prices for the razing was not available from the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission late May 30.

Lorain School Chief Operations Officer Jeffrey Hawks said he expects state facilities staff to review the bid documents.

The school district has worked with the state officials to build new schools in Lorain and demolish up to 20 old schoolhouses and buildings around the city, Hawks said.

The city school district also is working with consultants Arkinetics and Hammond Construction on the

Southview demolition.

The team will review bid documents to ensure contractors have submitted the needed paperwork.

Once there is state-level approval, the Lorain school officials will review the documents before the bid is awarded. The winning business or businesses must remove asbestos materials from the building before the structure comes down.

The 175,000-squarefoot school primarily is masonry, with some steel structure as well. It was built in 1969, with an addition in 1971.

The goal is to have the site cleared, filled, graded and seeded by the end of November, according to plans as explained in the pre-bid meeting on May 17.

The building will have limited electrical power. The contractor will have to get a meter from the Lorain Utilities Department to access water from a nearby fire hydrant, Hawks said.

The contractor who is awarded the job must secure the site. The contractor will not be required to clean bricks, but will make available daily loads of bricks people can take for souvenirs or yard projects such as backyard patios.

After the May 17 pre-bid meeting, members of the public have asked whether materials could be salvaged from the building.

Lorain City Schools will not get involved in possible salvaging because technically public money was used to build the school and Lorain City Schools cannot give away public property, Hawks said.

Once the demolition work begins, the site is under control of the contractor, Hawks said. People may contact the demolition contractor for information about items inside the building, but Lorain City Schools will not get involved with that process, he said.

“Diabasens