Cleanup of the site of the former Cassidy Inn, which burned down in the early morning hours of July 5, 2016, will have to wait a bit longer because of asbestos contamination in the debris.
Tom Armet, Regional District of Nanaimo building and bylaw services manager, said in an e-mail to the News Bulletin Friday that a full cleanup of the site has been delayed while the RDN’s contractor has had to await test results at various stages of debris removal.
“Our contractor is awaiting final testing results on the last layer of debris, which will dictate the method and timeline for the final stage cleanup,” Armet said in the e-mail.
A demolition permit for the site was issued in mid-December.
Armet also said the property owner, a numbered company that was represented by company director Manno Parwar, was ordered to clean up the property, but has not communicated with the regional district for several months so the regional district is proceeding with demolition and disposal at the property owner's cost.
Commuters driving by the former Cassidy Inn site might have noticed various arrangements of fences and tarps surrounding the debris site during the months since the fire. Armet explained the fencing changes are due to WorkSafe B.C. requirements for contaminated sites.