Now that the new Wallace Elementary School is complete and occupied by students, the home of the Wallace Wolf Pack for the last 78 years will start to be demolished. The four-week process begins Monday, February 8, and will be carried out by Ascendant, the district’s demolition contractor.
Ascendant will use excavators with special attachments at the ends of the arms that pinch and break the building into smaller pieces. Using excavators, a more controlled option for bringing down a building, makes it possible to keep everything contained within the site. As the building comes down, the debris of wood, brick, and metal will be separated into piles and hauled off.
Impact on the Neighborhood
People around the school will hear noise that should be very similar to the noise during the peak of construction on the new school building. Large excavators will be running and loading debris on semi-trucks that will be entering and leaving the site. Other tools in use can also be noisy. As per the original construction guidelines, work will not begin before 7:00 AM.
To ensure proper air quality, the building will constantly be sprayed with water as it comes down to keep dust from getting airborne.
At this point, there will be no street closures. Flaggers may be present on 5th Avenue occasionally to bring trucks in and out the site. For a short time, there will be trucks in the sidewalk area with portions of the ground un-earthed for some utilities work, during which the area will be taped off for safety.
Commemorative Bricks for the Community
Bricks from the 1942 Wallace school building will be available for those who would like something to commemorate the school. These bricks will be placed in a pile on the Northwest corner of the school property (on 4th Avenue) and available for pick-up on Saturday, February 20, from 8:00 AM to noon. A representative from the district will be on-site during that time. For those arriving early, please limit the number of bricks picked up so others arriving closer to noon will have an opportunity. Questions about commemorative bricks can be emailed to michele.nerland@kelsosd.org or scott.westlund@kelsosd.org.