Officials from the Collectivité’s Quality of Life Department monitor the demolition of the former cultural centre and cinema in Sandy Ground.
SANDY GROUND--The Collectivité has responded to parents' concerns over the risks posed by the process of demolishing the former cultural centre and cinema. The demolition is expected to be completed on November 8. It emphasised that every precaution has been taken to minimise the impact of the demolition in an area where people live and go to school.
In response to the concerns of parents of pupils at Aline Hanson and Jérôme Beaupère Schools in Sandy Ground, the Collectivité's Quality of Life (Cadre de Vie) Department has taken all the necessary steps to reassure local residents that the demolition of the central building (the former cinema) will be carried out safely.
As the presence of asbestos was detected in the piping making up the building’s reinforced concrete support columns, on September 10, the Collectivité commissioned the VERITAS laboratory to carry out dust analyses. These analyses, carried out at the site and in the courtyard of Jérôme Beaupère School, were negative. No asbestos fibres were detected in the air and no danger to the health of workers or local residents.
The companies responsible for the demolition are taking the necessary precautions to make the site safe and minimise impact. All the worksites are strictly off-limits to the public.
“The demolition work is being carried out with the utmost care so as not to rip open the poles,” the Collectivité explained. “As a result, the site will generate less dust than a conventional demolition operation.
“The reinforced concrete poles in which the pipes have been detected will be evacuated directly to the Cul-de-Sac landfill site, where they will be cut up, and then to an external regulatory storage centre in Saint-Martin. The asbestos fibres will remain contained and will be processed off-site. There is therefore no risk.”
In response to persistent concerns, the Collectivité and its contractors have undertaken to carry out a complete clean-up of the schools before the start of the new school year. The start of the new school year for the two Sandy Ground schools has been postponed by a week to allow sufficient time before the new school year begins and to reassure parents. The demolition of the old cinema will then be complete, with no asbestos or rubble left on site.
