Rankin County board authorizes public bid notices for demolition and asbestos abatement on two county properties

The Rankin County Board of Supervisors on April 3 authorized staff to publish public bid notices seeking qualified contractors to remove structures and perform asbestos abatement at two county-owned properties, one in Marquette (the former Marquette cement plant) and one in Florence.

County engineering consultant James Hall, of Engineering Service, told the board the Marquette building is largely clad in asbestos-containing siding and that removal requires specialized asbestos abatement and demolition work. Hall said a prior planning-level estimate to demolish the Marquette building, abate and remove asbestos, and clean the site was about $1,500,000, and he later cautioned the board that a realistic range could be higher — “I just felt like you needed to know what you were getting into here on the front end. I think you’re looking at a 2 and a half million dollar project on that building,” he said.

Hall and other staff said the work is complex, the local pool of qualified contractors is limited and the county will pursue competitive bids to ensure firms can meet federal and state legal requirements for asbestos abatement and demolition. The board instructed staff to prepare bid documents calling for qualified contractors to remove structures from both sites in compliance with federal and state law, and to advertise both projects as bid projects.

Board members emphasized the county has not authorized demolition work or awarded contracts; the vote approved only the publication of bid notices so the county can receive competitive bids and later consider contract awards. One board member stated for the record: the board “has not authorized anything to happen; it’s only authorized the receipt of bids so that the board can then consider whether or not there will be action.”

Votes at a glance - Motion to publish notices for bids for the two properties (Market Road/Marquette site and Downtown Florence site): motion made and seconded; carried on voice vote.

Background and next steps Staff said the EPA previously conducted soil and groundwater investigations on the county-owned sites and did not find groundwater or soil conditions requiring remediation at the county parcels under discussion; staff said the bid projects will focus on above-ground demolition and asbestos abatement without disturbing subsurface soils. Staff will return with bid results and a recommended contractor for board consideration.

Authorities mentioned in the meeting included the EPA investigations on site conditions and federal and state asbestos abatement requirements; staff also referenced statutory authority permitting the county to acquire property earlier in the agenda when discussing a separate purchase and sale matter.

No contract awards were made at the meeting; staff will publish bid notices and return with formal bids and recommendations.