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An inside look at Ah-Gwah-Ching demolition
Cass County Correspondent WALKER - Security is tight at the Ah-Gwah-Ching building demolition site. There is a high chain-link fence. There are security guards.
Administrator Bob Yochum said he had to open the trunk of his car the first two times he visited the site this summer, before they got to know he represented the property owner and would not be a security risk.
On Aug. 27, a few invited guests got to see progress on the demolition and learn more about the process.
They included representatives of the Brainerd Dispatch and Walker Pilot-Independent, city of Walker, Shingobee Township, county board, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, Cass County Economic Development Corp., Critical Access Hospital Task Force, Essentia Community Health Services and Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.
No citizens are allowed on site for safety reasons, according to Nick Linnemann, project manager for the demolition contractor, Landwehr of St. Cloud.
Phil Caswell of Bonestroo of St. Paul first assessed what buildings and materials were on the site and assessed where those materials should go after removal. The hazardous waste removal and demolition contractors then have been following that documented plan.
Most of this assessment was done early this year before the county took possession of the property in June. Bonestroo also will shoot elevations for new utilities being run from the city of Walker.
Industrial Hygiene Services Corp. of Vadnais Heights moved onto the property in June to remove asbestos under hazardous waste protocols. The company also removed and disposed separately fluorescent light fixtures and bulbs, used motor oil and other items that require separate disposals from regular garbage or demolition debris.
What can be reused will be, according to Timothy Huber, principal consultant and owner of Industrial Hygiene. The rest will be disposed in appropriate landfills, he said. That firm's work will conclude this month.
As buildings have been cleared of hazardous materials, Landwehr Construction has moved ahead with demolition. Linnemann expects demolition to take until Christmas.
All equipment was shut down during the meeting and tour Wednesday, also for safety reasons, with the exception of one demonstration demolition.
Walker Mayor Brad Walhof said the reason for connecting the site to city water is the existing Ah-Gwah-Ching water tower provides only 40 pounds of pressure, which would be insufficient to feed modern sprinkler systems and other needs expected for proposed county and health care campuses.
Investigation showed the Ah-Gwah-Ching utility system had outlived its life, the mayor said. There will be a new water tower, he added.
Michael Hedrix of Essentia Health Services, lead provider for the proposed health care campus at Ah-Gwah-Ching, said the state and federal regulatory and licensing hurdles have been surmounted in the last four years to put a critical access hospital and clinic on the site.
This year, Essentia is working with neighboring health care providers to try to create a truly regional cooperative effort to make the project cost effective and to serve people currently using medical services based in Park Rapids and Bemidji as well as Brainerd.
Capital raising also is under way, Hedrix said. He expects to give the county board a progress report before the end of the year. He said he hopes to see a new hospital facility on the site in two years.
Yochum said he also hopes to see the medical project coordinate with Indian Health Services on Leech Lake Reservation.
He said about half of the 75 acres the county now owns will be dedicated to the health care campus and half to future county government buildings the county board has pledged to build there over the next several decades.
Yochum also reported the state received no bids for the north 55 acres the state retained. Bid closing was Aug. 12. He said the state will leave the $460,000 minimum bid open indefinitely to any potential interested party. There is no current state plan to lower that minimum, he said.
Demolition is being done under a $3.9 million state grant, with utility extensions from Walker under a Minnesota DEED grant of $1.9 million.
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