Demolition Set To Begin On Escambia Jail Central Booking Facility

November 2, 2018

After being destroyed in an explosion linked to the April 2014 flooding, Escambia County is moving forward with the demolition and site clearing of the old Central Booking & Detention Facility located on Leonard Street. Slated to begin as soon as Monday, the project will first include removing material from inside the structure before the actual four-story building and adjacent one-story buildings can be demolished.

The project specifics include:

  • Demolition of existing structures and site clearing, Mondays through Fridays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Complete removal and legal disposal of the structure, interior/exterior finishes, mechanical systems, electrical systems, and furnishings as to not damage any adjacent facilities.
  • No stormwater pond or other construction will take place at this time.
  • No explosives will be used during the demolition.
  • Continuous monitoring of noise and air quality will take place to mitigate project nuisances, along with water spraying to prevent airborne materials from leaving the work zone.
  • A hazardous material survey was performed, and any regulated materials will be removed and disposed of per proper Florida Department Of Environmental Protection procedures and regulations.

The Escambia County Commission awarded the contract for the demolition of the facility to Jobe’s Dirt Works, LLC at their October 18 regular meeting. The demolition project is expected to take approximately eight months, barring weather or other unforeseen delays. The project engineering and demolition costs are estimated at $584,000.  (For more on the bids received, click here for a previous story.)

No building will be rebuilt in the location. Instead, a 3.5 acre stormwater drainage pond will be constructed using a federal grant to reduce flooding in the area. While a depression will be in the ground until the drainage project construction begins, it is not the completed pond. Design plans for the new dry stormwater pond will be 90 percent complete in November. A construction start date has not yet been determined.

Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Comments

3 Responses to “Demolition Set To Begin On Escambia Jail Central Booking Facility”

  1. Stumpknocker on November 4th, 2018 10:08 am

    Lumon May should remember, it’s not what you do when everybody is around, it’s what you do when you think no one is looking that counts. No negative comment here, just because someone is found innocent doesn’t mean they are, for instance O.J Simpson.

  2. Citizen against corruption on November 3rd, 2018 9:09 am

    Are you talking about the same Lumon May that was defiant and disrespectful to a PPD officer that pulled him over for a traffic violation? The same Lumon May that attempted to use his status as a county commissioner to get out of the traffic citation? The same Lumon May that ordered that PPD officer to get their supervisor on the scene because he didn’t think he deserved the traffic citation? He may have been at that parents meeting. However, like a lot of people these days, he does not respect law enforcement. Therefor, he doesn’t have much respect from the citizens. At least the law abiding citizens.

  3. Trina Coburn on November 2nd, 2018 8:55 pm

    Thought we were going to have a moment of silence at the sight for all the victims and for those who lost their lives. I know that is what a commissioner mentioned at a meeting. I guess once again because it was a jail… It doesn’t matter to most. Well my son was in there and by the way before any negative comments start. He was found innocent of his charges. The explosion and the events that followed were to this day the worst thing I have ever gone through as a parent. I think even I could have used some closure. Thank God for people like Lumon May, he truly is a great man. The only commissioner I saw come to our parents meeting.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News