Fire Station Demolition

The old fire station and EMS building came down today at about 2:30 PM.  If you missed all the action, not to worry - we've got lots of photographs below!

The intact fire station as it was just a few hours ago.

  The demolition begins behind the library building.

The demolition continues.

A good shot of the inside of the fire station as it's being demolished.

The building collapses.

The view from Avenue M.

Request for Bids

On June 13, the city of Huntsville officially put out a request for bids.  This means that from now until 2:00 PM on Wednesday, July 7, contractors will be submitting their bids to furnish all plant, labor, materials, and equipment required for the completion of the library's renovation and expansion.  On that day, the proposals will be opened and read aloud.

A pre-bid conference will take place on Wednesday, June 23 at 10:00 AM at the city service center.  The request for bids was placed in the Sunday issue of the Huntsville Item's Legals section, and will run again on the 20th.  Construction is expected to begin late this summer.

Meanwhile, the old records building has been cleared of asbestos, and more trees have been transplanted (see image below).

Save a Tree (or Two)

Yesterday, the city removed two trees - a crape myrtle and a magnolia - from the library's backyard in preparation for construction. Rather than being chopped down, the trees were transplanted to beautify other city locations. How exactly does that work? Take a look at the photos of the crape myrtle below.

Step One: The tree is dug up and the roots secured with rope.














Step Two: Cones are placed around the tree to separate it from the rest of the lawn.






Step Three: The tree is removed and the hole filled in with dirt.




The magnolia was transplanted in the same way:




Be sure to also check out the mini-story in the Huntsville Item.

Soil and Zoning

Soil Samples
Remember the soil and vapor samples taken at the library a couple of weeks ago? Terracon Consultants, Inc. completed their analysis some days ago. You can read about the results in an article by the Huntsville Item.

Zoning

On Friday, May 21, the City's Zoning Board of Adjustment held a public meeting to discuss the library's request for a waiver, which was granted. Read more details in an article by the Walker Free Press.