On Tuesday, the Provo City Council approved the transfer of $3 million for the cleaning of asbestos, demolition and temporary parking at the old location. The money was requested last spring.

The amended resolution was approved with a four to three vote. Council members David Shipley, Shannon Ellsworth and Travis Hoban voted no.

The opposition was led by Shipley and focused on the council giving the full $3 million at one time. Mayor Michelle Kaufusi made a concerned plea, saying she supports moving as fast as the city can on the project.

“I was hoping we would come to a conclusion tonight,” Kaufusi said.

Harrison Epstein, Daily Herald

The old building is becoming a haven for intruders, vermin and other things, including a few files that were left in the building. The problem revolves around a major asbestos issue with the building — one that will take about $2 million to clean before the building can come down.

The old city hall was built in the 1970s when asbestos was a primary building product and fire retardant. According to Scott Henderson, project manager for the new city hall, asbestos was found in the roof tiles, pipe wrapping and floor tiles, among other places.

Kaufusi said each tile must be individually wrapped and the whole building must be fenced off and wrapped for cleaning before demolition.

That means about 60,000 square feet, over three stories, are affected by asbestos. “There is literally asbestos from top to bottom,” Henderson said.

According to a presentation given to the council on Oct. 18 by Wayne Parker, chief administrative officer, the city is preparing the RFP (request for proposal) process for a company to come in and do the clean up.

Parker showed some frustration with the council as they considered holding back $500,000 to potentially use in later months. With prices going up, large equipment needing to be brought in and danger to employees, the 11 months of waiting had the administration in a near face-off of need.

“We would like to move ahead quickly on demolition as it is becoming ever more critical with break-ins and damage, increased utility costs for two facilities, pest control issues and inflation is increasing costs,” Parker said in the presentation.

The city also needs to complete the temporary relocation of Fire Station 1 and close out the data center. That will allow for clearing the land and building a new Fire Station 1 on the same spot.

Both projects can happen simultaneously as the fire station was remodeled and cleared of asbestos 15 years ago.

“We would work very hard to maximize the value of the $3 million allocation to complete the demolition while we work through the redevelopment process,” Parker said. “The intent would be to partner with a developer to; provide parking for city hall, generate tax revenue and economic investment in the west end of downtown and spur additional redevelopment nearby.”

Parker added that more will be known about financing as the city moves through the RFO/RFP process. Employees have been given notice that everything left in the old building must be out by Nov. 30.

It is anticipated that work on the fire station and the clearing of asbestos would begin early next year.