Asbestos delays demolition of old Whitehorse high school

Demolition of the old F.H. Collins High School in Whitehorse is behind schedule and over budget.

The demolition project was expected to be complete this past fall, but now it will be next summer before it's all done.

Crews had expected some asbestos, but were surprised at the amount they discovered.

"What we encountered as we started the demolition project was additional hazardous building material including asbestos, so that has delayed the project by a few months," said Scott Milton, an assistant deputy minister with Highways and Public Works.

Milton says the unexpected work and delays haveincreased the budget by $1.5 million dollars, from $4.5 million to roughly $6 million.

"People should start seeing signs of the school actually being removed or coming down mid-February to end of March," he said.

He says the new completion goal is June, 2017.

The interior of the school has been gutted and much of the contents repurposed to keep them out of the landfill.

"Inside the school, people who are familiar with F.H. Collins wouldn't recognize it," said Milton.

He added thatthe technical wing of the old school will not be torn down. It is beingupgraded and work on that section is expected to be finished by the end of January.