By Seth Daniel
The former Central Power Plant in the Navy Yard – known as Building 108 – is set to finally be demolished at a much lower cost than expected, Boston Planning and Development officials said.
The highly contaminated plant sits at the corner of Third Avenue and Ninth Street, and Edward O’Donnell of the BPDA said they are moving forward with the demolition.
We’ve been working closely with our environmental engineer, Weston & Sampson, to develop a demolition plan for the former power plant building,” he said. “We’re confident that the contaminants within the building are not airborne, and thus they are not migrating. At the same time, demolition needs to carried out in a safe and controlled manner.”
Weston & Sampson submitted the BPDA demolition plan to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) about three weeks ago.
“We await their review and decision but having worked cooperatively on this important matter, we’re optimistic that the necessary approval will be forthcoming,” he said.
One piece of very good news is that after studying the building, engineers have determined that the cost of the project would not be $8 million, but rather around $5 million.
“This is a significant reduction from earlier estimates that looked at about an $8 million in demolition costs,” said O’Donnell.
A schedule for the demolition will not be available until, and when, the DEP gives its consent to the plan.