Asbestos to be removed from building before demolition

Two buildings on 4th Street, across from Havre City Hall will soon be demolished to make way for the new Bullhook Community Health Center.

Havre City Council Monday gave its approval to a plan to accept federal grants to remove asbestos and lead-based paint from the building at 521 4th St. Bear Paw Development Corp. is arranging for the grant under the federal Brownfields program. No city funds will be used, said Mayor Tim Solomon, but city approval is needed.

While Brownfields once handled only more serious environmental problems, it has recently been expanded to include asbestos removal, said Keith Cron of CTA Construction & Environmental in Great Falls, which is overseeing the project.

Cron said the project will ensure that the asbestos is removed safely and will cause no harm to workers, area residents or passersby.

The project should be complete in three to four weeks, he said.

Then, Baltrusch Construction Co. of Havre will demolish the homes, and the project will be turned over to the general contractor, said Todd Hanson, who chairs the clinic’s board of directors.

Work is expected to be finished in one year, Hanson said.

The new building will consolidate Bullhook’s medical and dental facilities into one building and be more accessible to the public, officials said.