DEMOLITION of the old Morisset Post Office will be completed this week, and the site turfed.
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Lake Macquarie City Council commissioned demolition and earthmoving specialists, Hay Enterprises, of Port Stephens, to complete the task.
Demolition operators, Jeremey and Travis Hay, told the Lakes Mail the job had been completed without incident.
“We’re expecting to do the final trim and level of the site in the next day or so,” Jeremey Hay said on Tuesday.
Asbestos had been detected in the eaves of the building, Mr Hay said.
The company’s licensed asbestos team safely removed the fibrous material, and the site was cleared by hygienists for the demolition.
There has been no other surprises, the pair said.
They found no long-lost letters that had fallen between the cracks.
Mr Hay said every building demolition posed unique challenges.
The process starts with the disconnection of water and electricity services to the site.
For the post office job, the company used a method which essentially involved pushing the outside walls of the building in so that they collapsed on each other.
“We use a 21-tonne excavator, trucks, and a 360 grapple which is particularly effective in breaking up concrete,” Mr Hay said.
A team of eight was used on the job over two weeks.
Once the building was brought down, the salvage work began.
“We separated and sorted the usable timbers, unbroken bricks, steel and copper pipes,” Mr Hay said.
“We always try to salvage whatever we can. The other materials that can’t be re-used, such as the old carpet, are taken to the tip.”
On Tuesday, Mr Hay said he expected to complete a final tidy of the site this week, so that turfing could begin.
We always try to salvage whatever we can.
- - Jeremey Hay
Lake Macquarie City Council acquired the old Morisset Post Office in 2014, for $850,000.
The building was closed in 1995.
“The building has been in disrepair for some time, and by demolishing the building we hope to improve the visual amenity of this area,” council’s community planning manager John Ferguson said.
A Statement of Heritage Impact for the post office concluded the building did not have historical significance.
The site, at the corner of Dora and Station streets, is central to council’s plans to build a civic hub in the CBD.
