Work on the demolition of the vacant Food for Less building is underway.
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Kurri Kurri based demolition experts Drumderg Services are contracted to undertake the works.
The business specialises in asbestos removal and highly sensitive remediation works.
On-site project manager Steven Fam confirmed the site contains some asbestos.
"As part of this demolition project, a hazardous materials report is written by an independent hygienist," he said.
"That report is then provided to us. It contains an itemised list of where the asbestos is within the building, how much there is and the type and nature of the asbestos.
"As a fully licensed asbestos removalist, we work through that register and remove the asbestos noted in the report.
"Once the removal is completed, a second independent hygienist will then check our finished work.
"This is standard practice, for us anyway."
Mr Fam said the Food for Less building was considered very low risk in relation to asbestos levels.
"It is all in the sheeting, really," he added.
With 10 workers currently on site, Mr Fam said the building will be demolished by Christmas.
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He said the number of on-site workers will vary as the demolition cycles through depending on the expertise required.
The job is labour-intensive because of the asbestos, he said.
"Once that asbestos is removed the job becomes more reliant on plant, with less people and more machinery.
"The number of workers will gradually reduce nearer to completion date."
Mr Fam said the demolition job was not difficult, describing it as a fairly straight forward project.
And it appears the Port Macquarie community is looking forward to the removal of the decaying building.
We probably get about 100 people a day telling us that they are glad to see the building finally going. But it does take up a fair bit of our day.
- Steven Fam
"We probably get about 100 people a day telling us that they are glad to see the building finally going. But it does take up a fair bit of our day," he said.
"It's good to be working on a project that people genuinely want to see removed. And it is good to have the support of the community."
The owner of the site, Woolworths, is yet to confirm its plans for the vacant Food For Less site.
The project manager said adverse weather would not necessarily have an impact on the work’s progress.
The contract will see Drumderg Services remove the entire structure above ground to leave a 'hard stand'.
"We will be leaving the area fenced off once our demolition is complete and that is part of the contract," he added.
On its website, Drumderg Services is described as an established business with a proven track record in successfully delivering civil, demolition, asbestos removal, onsite recycling, crushing and screening.
The business has a class A licence for asbestos removal.
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