Prince George-based Napp Enterprises has been awarded a $417,000 contract to demolish the Prince George Hotel.
Napp Enterprises owner Barry Barnes said crews are scheduled to begin removing hazardous materials from the 97-year-old building the week of Sept. 12.
"I just got the notice of award an hour ago, so I haven't had a chance to go over this a lot," Barnes said Tuesday. "We have approximately four weeks worth of abatement to do. Most of the work is internal work, so you won't see much."
After the building is cleared of asbestos and other hazardous materials, the demolition of the building itself will begin, Barnes said.
Once the demolition work is complete, the site will still need to be remediated. In October city staff reported the estimated the demolition cost at $600,000, plus $300,000 to $450,000 for remediation.
Calls to the City of Prince George were not returned as of press time for comment.
Local realtor and former president of Downtown Prince George Kirk Gable has petitioned the city to save the historic building. The $1 million budgeted by the city for the demolition could be used to restore the building for use, Gable said.
Gable is slated to appear before city council on Sept. 12 to make the case for saving the building.
"My plan is to continue to lobby them the change their minds," Gable said. "I'm not unhappy that things are moving ahead for downtown development. [But] I think there is more creative ways to deal with these things."
There has not been an opportunity for the public to express its views on the demolition of the hotel, Gable said.
"There really hasn't been an opportunity to participate in a discussion," he said. "In some ways I understand - you can't do real estate deals on the front page of the Citizen."
The city purchased the hotel in April, 2010 for $2.5 million from a group of investors. The investors had bought the building in January, 2010 from longtime owner/operator Ted Coole.
The city has applied to the B.C. Brownfield Renewal Funding Program for funding to cover the costs of site investigations and development of a remediation plan. The province has not announced which municipalities will receive funding under the program.
