Sections Search Subscribe Sign In Advertisement Breadcrumb Trail Links News Local News Asbestos concern slows demolition of former Haldimand admin building Former Haldimand town hall expected to be gone by Christmas Author of the article: Monte Sonnenberg Publishing date: Dec 02, 2021 • 1 day ago • 2 minute read • Join the conversation Potentially-toxic vermiculite insulation has slowed the demolition of Haldimand’s former central administration building in Cayuga. A county spokesperson said this week that removal is nearly complete and that the former town hall and museum building in back of it should be gone by Christmas. – Monte Sonnenberg Article content CAYUGA – The discovery of insulation which may contain asbestos has delayed the demolition of the former Haldimand County administration building in Cayuga. Advertisement STORY CONTINUES BELOW Article content Still, the county expects to have the building and the former museum in back of it removed by Christmas, with site clean-up continuing into January. The insulation at issue has a vermiculite base. Vermiculite is a soft, brittle mineral similar in appearance to mica. “The vermiculite removal has taken six weeks as it was found throughout the building,” Kyra Hayes, a spokesperson for Haldimand County, said this week in an email. “Vermiculite can contain asbestos or not. It is industry standard to have it tested for asbestos any time it is found in a building. Vermiculite insulation (consists of) small, light particles that can be easily breathed into someone’s lungs if the proper personal protective equipment and proper containment set-up for removal is not followed.” Asbestos is an issue during demolition because microscopic fibres have been implicated in potentially fatal respiratory illnesses and cancer. Asbestos was once valued as a building material for its fire-resistant properties. However, it is no longer used in this manner and strict protocols are in place to ensure fibres don’t become airborne during demolitions. With the vermiculite insulation removed, the focus of the demolition on Munsee Street North shifts back to areas where asbestos is still present. Once hydro to the building is disconnected, Hayes says the demolition will begin in earnest. “The public should see both buildings down before Christmas, with some site clean-up taking place in January,” she said. Advertisement STORY CONTINUES BELOW Article content The former town hall in Cayuga has served as a municipal administration building in Haldimand since its construction in 1968. For the first six years of its existence, the complex was the administrative nerve centre of the original Haldimand County. When the original Norfolk County and the original Haldimand County were amalgamated into the Regional Municipality of Haldimand-Norfolk in 1974, the building was given over to the administration of the lower-tier Town of Haldimand. Following the restructuring of Haldimand-Norfolk Region into two standalone counties in 2000, the new Haldimand County took over. The building was the site of municipal council meetings throughout its existence until Haldimand County relocated to its new administrative centre on Thorburn Street in Cayuga last year. Haldimand County opted for demolition after learning that capital repairs and upgrades would cost millions of dollars in the short- and medium-term. As well, the building has intractable accessibility issues due to the design’s reliance on staggered floor levels and the numerous staircases required to access them, a common feature of public buildings constructed in the 1960s. 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