Fairview Demolition Hit Snag

JOLIET, IL — On Saturday, June 8, the Joliet Housing Authority held a ceremony to celebrate the start of demolition of the Fairview Public Housing Development. Congressman Bill Foster, Joliet Mayor Bob O'Dekirk and Joliet Housing Authority Chief Executive Officer Michael Simelton took turns climbing into a crane to tear apart one of the public housing units. Fairview's demolition would be done around July 15, according to a display sign at the press conference.

That event was more than three months ago.

On Wednesday, Joliet Patch visited the Fairview Public Housing projects because the demolition has yet to begin. These days, the entire Joliet Housing Authority property is surrounded by chain-link fence. All of the residents have vacated Fairview.

So why hasn't any of the demolition started?

Patch learned that asbestos was found inside five of the 40 buildings. As a result, demolition was put on hold until contractors remediate the problem, according to the Housing Authority.

"There was no exposure to our residents," Joliet Housing Authority Chief Executive Officer Michael Simelton told Joliet Patch during Wednesday afternoon's phone interview.

Simelton said it is his understanding the asbestos abatement will all be done by the early part of October. Once the remediation is over, Simelton said, demolition of the 40 apartment buildings would proceed.

Once that work starts, the empty apartment buildings will be razed within 60 days. In other words, all of the demolition work at Fairview should be completed by early December, he indicated.

As for the asbestos, the contaminants were discovered in the flooring areas of the five respective buildings, Simelton said.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires that all of the contaminants must be removed before any demolition can occur, Simelton explained.