By Ryan Duey

The City of Washington received a single proposal to remove and relocate the rubble from the old city hall to a municipal waste facility. The proposal, from a Kearney, Nebraska company, totaled $285,000, exceeding City Administrator Carl Chalfant’s estimate by at least $50,000.

The rubble, dumped on private property in early March, must be moved by a licensed asbestos handler since the building wasn’t tested for asbestos before demolition. Chalfant advised the Washington City Council to delay a decision for now, and has informed KDHE that only one quote was received and requesting reconsideration for asbestos testing of the rubble.

KDHE previously stated that the rubble is presumed to contain asbestos due to the lack of prior testing. While KDHE has been lenient by waiving fines, Chalfant hopes they will permit testing to potentially reduce cleanup costs.