COLUMBUS, Ind. — Work has begun on a portion of the NexusPark site designated for Columbus Regional Health facilities, though the more heavy interior demolition won’t take place for at least a few more weeks.
CRH facility engineer Casey Gibson said that workers began removing ceiling tiles Tuesday, and some preparation on the site took place prior to that.
“They’ve just been training, and they laid down some OSB on the floor so that their lifts don’t damage the existing tile,” she said. “They’ve been making the area safe.”
The west portion of the facility is closed for interior demolition and construction. Entrances are still open on the east side, and a modified walking path has been set up from Bath & Body Works to Dunham’s. A construction barrier is in place for safety purposes.
“We’ve made the provision of having a window in the separation wall, and the public’s free to gaze in from that point,” said David Lenart, director of facilities and materials for the hospital.
In addition to removing ceiling tiles, Gibson said that workers will make sure that “all services to the space are properly disconnected” prior to the more in-depth demolition, which is tentatively expected to get underway during the final week of February.
Lenart said in late December that the hospital hoped to begin interior demolition on Jan. 10. However, this ended up being delayed.
“I think they (the contractors) were just trying to get their ducks in a row, so to speak, with safety and onboarding subs and just making sure everybody was properly insured,” said Gibson.
Internal demolition will likely take a couple of months, said Lenart in a previous interview. After that, the next step is “starting to build everything back.”
For the complete story and more photos, see Saturday’s Republic.
