Kenosha committee approves contractors to abate asbestos and demolish four former school sites

The Kenosha Common Council Public Works Committee approved contract awards on Sept. 8 to remove asbestos-containing materials, demolish structures and restore lots at multiple former school sites, city staff said.

Timothy (Tim) Casey, director of city development, told the committee the city sought bids for work at four properties the city is handling: the former Lincoln Elementary School (already city‑owned), the former McKinley Elementary and McKinley Middle schools on 32nd Street, and Washington Middle School. Casey said staff received bids from a large field of firms and recommended awards to contractors the city judged most qualified.

Casey said 12 firms toured the schools and 11 submitted complete bids. “Most of them indicated they needed about 16 weeks, 4 months, roughly, to make one or the other school go away,” Casey said, describing typical contractor timelines for abatement and demolition.

City staff recommended awarding a contract for work at Kenosha Technology Enhanced Curriculum (KTEC) East to Care Contractors LLC in the amount presented to the committee: $623,740. The committee approved that award on the meeting floor.

Casey also described staff recommendations for the other schools and said the low‑bid demolition contractors named a large asbestos‑abatement subcontractor, Dirty Ducks (Madison), on the bids staff recommended. He added that staff will meet with the recommended firms in the coming days to clarify mobilization and schedule details.

On contingency and unexpected findings, Casey told the committee staff recommended adding contingency to the contracts to cover unanticipated abatement costs. “Fifteen percent may sound a little high. If we get into — we do find additional asbestos or anything else that needs to be dealt with, for abatement purposes — we want to make sure that we're able to keep moving forward,” Casey said. He said the city would return to the committee if costs exceeded approved contingency levels.

Committee members pressed staff on neighbors’ protections during demolition. Casey and other staff described standard abatement controls: licensed abatement crews, negative‑air setups, water suppression to limit dust, and state licensing documentation for workers removing hazardous materials. “We want it to be as minimally as disruptive as possible,” Casey said.

Committee members also discussed sequencing. Casey said the city plans to start work on Lincoln and Washington and to manage mobilization so abatement contractors can move efficiently from site to site. Staff said the administration may ask the committee or council to consider a special meeting if final contract language and schedules are completed quickly.

The committee voted to approve the recommended contracts on all related agenda items. City staff said they will finalize contract language, add schedule and dust‑control requirements, and then proceed with contractor mobilization.

Questions and concerns raised at the meeting focused on timeline, neighbors’ dust control and the level of contingency. Casey said the city would monitor contractors closely and return to the committee if additional approvals were needed.

Ending

The contracts approved at the Sept. 8 Public Works Committee move the city toward demolishing and restoring the former school sites to prepare them for future disposition or redevelopment. Staff said they will finalize schedules and environmental controls with the selected contractors in the coming days and keep the committee informed if unforeseen conditions require additional approvals.