Lazar, who runs Profes-
sional Asbestos and Lead Services (PALS) in Pleasanton, is overseeing the asbestos removal and eventual demolition of Cunha's Country Grocery store, the Half Moon Bay icon that was destroyed by a fire May 21.
|
|
"You don't rush something like this," he said.
The "big show," Lazar said - that is, the actual leveling of Cunha's store - will likely take place one week from today.
According to Lazar, all of
the asbestos material, contained in Sheetrock, is located in the second floor of the building, much of which is already
gone. Once the asbestos material is removed, it will be contained in hazmat tanks and carted off.
The process must proceed in accordance with guidelines from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), which conducted a survey of the store's structure and learned that samples from the building contained more than 1 percent of asbestos, which must be removed as a hazardous material.
But the effort faces two substantial obstacles, the first of which is the fact that the asbestos-removal crew must find a way to remove materials from the second floor of a badly burned building which is likely very unstable. As a result, Lazar will likely use a crane to pick out pieces of Sheetrock and remove them from the building.
The project also must face the daunting task of identifying asbestos material when nearly everything in and around the building is charred from the fire.
"When it's burned, it's burned, so it's hard to differentiate what is asbestos from what isn't," he said.
"But anything standing that looks like Sheetrock, we'll remove it."
The first day or so, according to Lazar, will primarily involve tests overseen by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. The actual removal probably won't take place until early next week, he said, then the actual building demolition will begin on June 18.
Once the building is gone, attention will immediately turn to its replacement.
Cunha's co-owner Bev Ashcraft has maintained her desire to have the store rebuilt in time for the October Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival. The proposal will likely be an exact replica of the store that burned to the ground when a local roofer mistakenly set the roof of an adjacent warehouse ablaze while heating the roof to allow tar to adhere to it.
City officials have indicated that the planning process for a rebuilt Cunha's could be streamlined to get it built as quickly as possible.
According to Interim Planning Director Marge Macris, rebuilding a structure destroyed by fire in the exact same location does not require a Coastal Development Permit (CDP) and public hearing process under the city's Local Coastal Program (LCP). The new building will have to comply with updated building and fire codes and will likely have to make concessions to progress, such as a sprinkler system and better access for the disabled.
But attention on the next phase of the new Cunha's will wait until the remnants of the store are removed from the center of downtown.
Public Works Director Paul Nagengast said he expects the asbestos removal and demolition to have minimal impact on the downtown area in terms of traffic and local business.
"That's the plan, but you never know until you get into it," he said.
w