by nathan oster
The demolition of the old Greybull Elementary School began Tuesday as heavy equipment operators from O’Dell Construction of Sheridan went to work on the kindergarten wing of the old building.
Built in 1919, the school has been shuttered since the district moved into its new elementary on the south part of town in the fall of 2007.
A timeline for the demolition project was finalized during a meeting last week attended by the contractor and officials from the school district and town.
A fence went up around the building’s perimeter on Monday.
“It’s a safety measure,” said Supt. Roger Clark, adding that the district is trying to be “good neighbors” while the demolition is proceeding.
The contractor has been given a “noise window” of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and will be working with the town to ensure the effective flow of trucks onto and off the property.
“They’ve got a pretty aggressive timeline,” said Clark.
The contractor hopes to have the building down and the debris removed within six weeks, by the week of April 5.
That will be followed by two weeks of backfill foundations, compaction and compaction testing, then three to four weeks of sitework, grading and topsoil replacement.
Substantial completion is expected by the week of May 17.
Mayor Frank Houk said no street closures are expected during the initial phase of the demolition.
For people wanting commemorative bricks, some will be set aside near one of the access gates, according to Randy Warnke, who is overseeing the project for O’Dell Construction.