Lewis-McChord crew starts tearing down vacant building in downtown Olympia

By Andy Hobbs

The Olympian (Olympia, Wash.)

Published: December 6, 2014

(TNS) Demolition began this week on a vacant building in downtown Olympia as part of a two-month military training exercise.

The project is seen as a win-win for both the city and the 555th Engineer Brigade from Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

The brigade expects to recycle more than 60 percent of materials from the city-owned building, located at 505 Fourth Ave. W. on the isthmus between Capitol Lake and West Bay. This week, the brigade has knocked down several walls inside the building while filling giant dumpsters with wood, scrap metal, dry wall and more.

The exterior will be demolished after the holidays. A ceremony with local leaders and dignitaries will begin at 10 a.m. Jan. 6 before the hydraulic excavator tears down the structure.

Sgt. First Class David Richerson said the exterior demolition should take about one month, adding that most of those materials will also be recycled.

Much of the treated wood from the buildings interior staircases, for example, will be donated to Habitat for Humanity, said Sgt. First Class Jason Jones, who was leading 22 brigade members on site Friday.

The project offers a rare training opportunity for deconstruction, Jones said. Typically, the military will build structures overseas, then demolish the buildings once their use is done.

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Lewis-McChord crew starts tearing down vacant building in downtown Olympia