Chapman Middle School Project is Finalist for Global Recycling & Environmental Demolition Award
Earlier this month, Costello Dismantling, the New Chapman Middle School Abatement and Demolition contractor, received word that they had made the short‐list as a finalist for the prestigious World Demolition Awards. The awards are part of the 12th World Demolition Summit, and were created and organized by Demolition and Recycling International magazine and its publisher KHL Group, in partnership with the European Demolition Association and with the support of the National Demolition Association.
This year over 200 projects were submitted for consideration in twelve different categories or aspects of demolition. A total of 46 entries from 29 companies made the shortlists for this year’s Awards. The winners will be announced at the virtual World Demolition Summit on November 12, 2020.
Costello is a finalist for the 2020 “Recycling & Environmental Demolition Award.” According to the Award Organizers, this is awarded to the company that best demonstrates a commitment to reducing the environmental impact of its operations, as well as clear evidence of effective recycling strategies. The judges will be looking for evidence of “green” working practices, investment in cleaner equipment and effective control of noise, pollution and disturbance. Primary criteria against which entries will be assessed are: Professionalism/Expertise; Environmental Impact Management; Approach to Recycling; and Client Satisfaction. The other two finalists for this category are projects from Argentina and Italy.
BOND Building Inc., the Construction Manager for the New Chapman Middle School project, partnered with Costello Dismantling to remove hazardous materials which included asbestos abatement, demolition of the building, and removal of the 250,000 square foot school. The Chapman project provided a great canvas to present a compelling story of value engineering by recognizing the possibility of converting a huge quantity of asbestos disposal into beneficial recyclable product.
“BOND was happy to partner with Costello Dismantling for the demolition and abatement scope on this project. Their pre-planning and efficient execution of the work helped set the rest of the project up for success,” said BOND Senior Project Manager, Brendan O’Malley.
One of the stars of the project was the award-winning architecture of the 1961 era school. “While somewhat bittersweet, it seems fitting that the history of the Maria Weston Chapman School be bookended with awards for Architectural excellence at its beginning and Demolition excellence at its end,” said Chief of Staff Ted Langill, Chair of the Chapman School Building Committee.
The abatement and demolition of the 1961 Chapman School was a challenge due to the fact that much of the poured-in-place, exposed concrete structure that contributed to the unique architectural style of the building was coated with heavy asbestos-containing paint. Standard procedure for this type of material called for ALL concrete with the coating to be disposed as asbestos debris. This meant a total volume of 14,000 tons of material would have been disposed as asbestos.
This challenge led Costello to start thinking outside of the box. After some analysis, Costello realized that the heavy asbestos coating could be abated for less cost per ton than bulk asbestos disposal. That meant that 10,000 tons of concrete could be made suitable and desirable for local recycling and beneficial reuse. The remaining 4,000 tons of coated concrete did not pass a cost/benefit analysis because of smaller dimensions and a greater cost per ton than value per ton. That material was disposed of traditionally as asbestos debris.
With this plan, Costello offered a value engineering proposal to the Town which provided a contract price reduction and allowed the new scope of work to proceed.
“I appreciate the efforts of our entire Chapman team to ensure taxpayer money is being used as efficiently and effectively as possible while also keeping the aggressively scheduled project on-time and on budget,” said Mayor Robert L. Hedlund.
To execute their plan, Costello made a large capital investment in a dustless vapor blasting system with vacuum collection that utilizes recycled glass as the medium to aggressively remove the coating, while leaving the substrate clean. They also became highly efficient in utilizing and installing heat‐shrink‐polyethylene tarps (Shrink Wrap) to enclose entire wings of the school at a time in air-tight work areas to comply with MA DEP/DLS Asbestos Abatement Containment Regulations.
“Costello’s approach saved time and money while reducing the impact of this project on the environment for all,” said Hill International Program Director, Paul Kalous.
“The entire Costello team was happy to be part of this exciting project,” said Dan Costello, owner of Costello Dismantling.
The Town of Weymouth and Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) partnered to construct a new Maria Weston Chapman Middle School in 2019. The total project budget, including the $1 million feasibility study, is $164.2 million, with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) reimbursing the Town of Weymouth for 61% of all eligible costs which is expected to amount to $57.3 million. With the Town funding $10 million of the project cost within the tax levy, on April 30, 2019, Weymouth voters approved a debt exclusion override for the remainder of the project cost ($96.9 million). The new school, designed to house 1470 students grades 6 through 8, will be complete and open in the Fall of 2022.