Clarksburg Takes Extra Precautions In Demolition Projects

Clarksburg residents have seen the demolition of their share of abandoned buildings and homes recently, but an incident in Philadelphia that left six people dead and another 13 injuredJune 5might concern area residents when they see the building or house next door is up for demolition.

Clarksburg City Manager Martin Howe said his strict drug-free policy is one of the ways he tries to prevent incidents like that from happening.

"That's something we want to make sure they insure us through their bids that their people are of standard and of capabilities to do the project," Howe said.

The crane operator in Philadelphia had marijuana in his system at the time of the incident. But having drug-free workers is only one step. Clarksburg had a major demolition project in 2007 when it tore down its old city hall, and Howe said with a project like that, they had to take extra precautions.

"At the onset of the demolition, we made the decision to start in the late evening hours, move in throughout the night, first and foremost to protect the life and safety around, and also of the workers. So, we would shut off the road for no vehicular traffic or pedestrians can get in the area," Howe said.

The precautions the city has taken have resulted in zero deaths so far. But with the historic Waldo Hotel a potential candidate for the city's next major demolition project, Howe said the city is open to adjustments that will ensure safety.

"Obviously, we think we have a good plan moving forward. We're fairly well with 100 percent no accidents, so we always will revise and look at how we do our projects every time we're done with them, and if we find something we can improve on, we always do," Howe said.

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Clarksburg Takes Extra Precautions In Demolition Projects