By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
After a long wait, mountains of paperwork, and last-minute fundraising efforts, the Schines Theatre in downtown Bucyrus will officially come down beginning next week.
The announcement was made during a pre-demolition meeting Thursday that was hosted by project coordinator and city administrative assistant Eunice Collene. Businesses and organizations in the area of the theatre were invited to the meeting to be informed on the 
project timeline and traffic flow plans during the demolition. They were also given the chance to ask questions of the city, the contractor, and Ohio Regional Development Corp concerning the project.
“We are working with the city to work with the grant programs,” explained Barbara Richards, Housing Grants Director with Ohio Regional Development Corp (ORDC).
The city received two grants for the project: one from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and another from the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission. The Ohio Facilities Construction Commission provided a $357,500 grant but the city needed to provide 50 percent of that in in-kind or matching funds.
“All these different things, the donation of the building after it’s demolished to the city, all of (that) counted towards as matched to secure those grant funds,” Richards explained. “All the funds that were raised about a month ago, the remainder of those funds were raised so we could secure those funds. Without that 50-percent match, all that money could not come to the city. It just kind of shows the state that everybody here has a stake in this and are backing this project.”
The City of Bucyrus received $83,000 in donations in June from various businesses, including $50,000 from Ohio Mutual Insurance Group, in order to meet the grant requirements.
Moderalli Excavating, a company out of Poland, Ohio, was awarded the demolition and asbestos contract with a bid of $396,200, a bid below the city’s estimated cost of the project. Currently, Moderalli Excavating is expected to haul in equipment Monday and begin work on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.
“Our goal was to get this on the ground before the Bratwurst Festival. I know there are bricks falling down and it’s a hazard for those streets. Our goal is to have at least a pile of rubble,” Richards said. She hoped they would be able to have part of the debris gone by the time the Bratwurst Festival rolls around on Aug. 13, but she said much of that would be dependent upon the weather.
The equipment will be moved off-site during the festival and will be brought back in to finish the job after the three days of festivities. The completion date for the demolition – which includes filling in the hole and a final grade – is Oct. 31.
“It’s a lot to happen in 90 days,” Richards said.
J.D. Jones, the ORDC inspector for the project, explained the process for dealing with the asbestos in the building.
“It’s my job to kind of ensure that the abatement contractor . . . and also the demolition contractor follows my specifications,” Jones said.
He commended Collene and city personnel for their work on the project, especially when dealing with rules and regulations from the EPA, the Ohio Department of Health, and OSHA. The Ohio EPA already signed off on the project and a notification was to be sent to the Ohio Department of Health the day of the meeting.
Jones said they are bringing Schines Theatre down as an emergency razed demolition due to the fact that the building has friable asbestos that has changed from its original location. In layman’s terms, that is any material that contains more than one percent of asbestos and that can be crumbled, pulverized, or reduced to powder by hand. Jones, Service/Safety Director Jeff Wagner, and an engineer deemed it unsafe for personnel to go in and quantify or abate the asbestos.
“We’re going to do what is called a hot demo. This is extremely rare,” Jones said. “It really is a procedure that we have to follow and make sure public safety and the liability that the city and ORDC faces when we’re dealing with asbestos.”
The building will be wetted down, most likely using a mist-like spray, during the entire project.
“When we’re talking about air quality, there will be sufficient watering. There will be no fibers. There’s actually zero tolerance,” Jones explained after concerns were raised about possible air quality issues for surrounding businesses. “As long as the abatement contractor and the demolition contractor follow the rules that they’ve been taught and trained, and that we’ve instructed them to do, the air quality should be fine. That’s the burden that falls on the abatement contractor.”
H&H Environmental of Tiffin will be subcontracting with Moderalli Excavating for the asbestos. The city previously used H&H Environmental with Moving Ohio Forward projects.
For those thinking about sneaking a brick or other memento from the building, Jones said in no uncertain terms that it cannot happen.
“No part of the building may be taken away, things like bricks, memorabilia, anything like that may not leave,” Jones asserted. “What we’re saying is that entire building is asbestos. It cannot be taken. All materials that come off that building will be placed in a leak-proof, double-lined containers, sealed, and hauled off by a licensed hauler to a licensed facility.”
The debris will be hauled to a landfill in Fostoria. A representative from Moderalli added they will likely have five to 10 trucks running routes back and forth to Fostoria to get to project completed quickly.
Part of South Sandusky Avenue and East Warren Street will be closed for the project though a detour with signage will be provided for patrons to access Wendy’s. Sandusky Avenue may open up again once the building is on the ground but Collene warned that it could go down to one lane of traffic while Moderalli hauls out the refuse. The traffic pattern used during the demolition project will be the same as the one used during the Bratwurst Festival, Collene said.
The proposed detour for northbound traffic in Ohio 4 and 98 would be routed east on Beal Avenue to the intersection of Ohio 19, then west to Whetstone Street, north to the intersection of East Mansfield Street (County Road 330), and east on East Mansfield Street to the intersection of U.S. Route 30. Southbound traffic will be routed in the reverse direction.
Northbound Ohio 19 and 100 traffic will be routed to Whetstone Street, then right on Whetstone (north) to Mansfield Street, right (east) on Mansfield Street to the Route 30 bypass to Ohio 4, then north to Ohio 19. Southbound traffic will follow the reverse.
Once the project is on the ground, the city will open the street back up to traffic.
“My business is next door to the theatre, I live upstairs,” said Doug Godwin, owner of Midwest Furniture. The business shares a wall with the theatre and the deteriorating condition of the theatre has affected Godwin’s building. “Let me say this: I can vouch for the work the city and 
Eunice have done on this job. She’s been in touch with me quite a bit for the meetings and different things.”
Richards said the Schines Art Park, which will take the place of the Schines Theatre, is expected to be completed by June 2016.
Complete information on traffic flow patterns will be posted to the city’s website at http://www.cityofbucyrusoh.us. For any further questions contact the Mayor/Service-Safety Director’s Office at 419-562-6767 ext. 221.