Asbestos testing pushes Edwards Fort demolition cost to roughly $500,000; board to reject bids and restart process

A board speaker reported that recent material testing at the Edwards Fort building showed asbestos requiring professional abatement estimated at about $300,000, on top of an estimated roughly $200,000 demolition cost, creating a combined project estimate of approximately $500,000.

“The asbestos removal alone’s 300,000,” the speaker said, adding that Robinson’s—the contractor awarded the demolition bid—has told the board it cannot perform the work for the previously quoted amount. The board was informed that the existing bids will be rejected and the district will have to restart the procurement process, likely including hiring an engineer and following expanded state-level regulatory requirements.

The speaker said the test results came after drilling and lab analysis done by an out-of-state firm, and that Alliance (the asbestos abatement contractor that bid on the job) provided the higher abatement estimate after reviewing samples. The board was told that, given the new total, the project falls into “a completely different realm of the rules and regulations that we have to follow,” and that state oversight of the project is likely.

No formal commitment to a new timeline or funding source was recorded; the speaker said the district will “have to go through the proper channels” and that there will be “more to come” as staff develop new cost estimates and procurement steps.