The demolition of the Gastineau Apartments is slated to begin Monday, according to a tentative project schedule released by the city.
The first phase of the project, which is scheduled to last from the start of next week until mid December, will be the demolition of Gunakadeit Park. The park, frequently known simply as Pocket Park, is wedged between two of the three buildings that make up the Gastineau Apartments. City officials decided months ago that it would need to come down along with the fire-ravaged apartment buildings.
“Quite frankly if a contractor has to dance around the park and preserve it, the demo will go slower and be more expensive,” City Engineering Director Rorie Watt told the Assembly at its Aug. 31 meeting. Watt has been in charge of overseeing the demolition since the city first began planning the project.
Once demolished, the park will serve as a staging area that will give CBC Construction, the Sitka-based contractor tasked with destroying deteriorating apartment buildings, and its subcontractors room to work in the confines of downtown.
The project will continue throughout the coming months, and it is scheduled to be complete by the end of April 2016. The structural demolition of the three buildings is to begin Jan. 12.
The bid amount for the project was about $1.4 million, but the city set aside a total of $1.8 million for it, which Watt has told the Assembly should be more than enough to cover any additional costs associated with the demolition.
CBC will not work on Dec. 4 during First Friday, according to the schedule.
• Contact reporter Sam DeGrave at 523-2279 or at sam.degrave@juneauempire.com.
