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Architect says firewall avoids costly sprinklers; asbestos abatement limits summer work
Summary
The architect told the board that a separating firewall could avoid sprinkling the entire arena and save roughly $500,000, and warned asbestos in block walls limits interior demo until abatement.
The presenting architect explained that by constructing a firewall between the proposed locker-room addition and the existing building, the town could treat the two as independent buildings and avoid installing sprinklers throughout the existing structure — a change that the architect said would save about $500,000. “The way we achieve that ... the firewall allows us to actually classify these as 2 independent buildings,” the architect said when explaining the fire‑safety rationale.
The architect also reported results from a hazmat survey showing some asbestos in floor tile and block wall insulation; he cautioned that interior demolition that disturbs those materials would require abatement and therefore that town staff should not perform demo work that disturbs asbestos. Board members were advised that limited, non‑disturbing maintenance can continue but that abatement must occur before significant interior demolition.
