A huge excavator sits on what once was the playground at Newman Elementary School, 457 Central Ave. Except for a chain-link security fence the front of the former Newman Elementary School on Central Avenue gave no indication Friday that demolition is underway. It’s a very different story in the back.
Great Lakes Demolition of Vickory, Ohio, has gutted several of the rooms on the west side. That work began after Total Environmental Services of Toledo completed abatement of hazardous materials.
The building is expected to be demolished, debris removed and the site graded by mid-December. It will be restored to grass as weather permits.
Total cost of abatement and demolition was $206,850 about half of the pre-bid estimate. Treasurer Robert Kuehnle credited the lower cost to competition from 15 companies who submitted bids for the work.
Earlier the district awarded a $101,392 contract to the Gardiner Trane company for the removal of two Burnham cast iron steam boilers from Newman. Gardiner Trane then installed them at Springmill STEM Elementary.
Newman was closed in the summer of 2014 as part of a financial recovery plan dictated by the district’s entry into state-declared fiscal emergency. Enrollment was 215 in preschool through third grade. Third-graders moved on to Malabar Intermediate School while younger children were reassigned to Sherman and Prospect elementary schools.
Structural issues played a part in the decision to close Newman. The school was subject to flooding because it was built above a spring. At the time of its closing the building also needed roof repairs estimated at $150,000.