Jailhouse rocked
Demolition of Passaic County facility begins
By: Joe Malinconio
Paterson Press
PATERSON - The demolition of the Passaic County Jail started this week [10/15/2024] in Paterson's downtown business district, but few pedestrians along Main Street seemed to take notice.
.....
County officials said the private demolition company first will tear down the part of the jail on the interior of the block, before moving on to the area of the building along Main, Grand and Marshall streets.
..... Noise from excavators and other demolition equipment could be heard on Main Street looking for them through the gaps in the building,
,,,,, Officials said water will be sprayed on the demolition debris to prevent dust form spreading to surrounding streets.
..... Asbestos already has been removed from the structure, officials said.
..... "It will be nosily, but it should not be dusty," Nordan Murphy, the assistant Passaic County engineer, said in an interview last month. [09/2024]
..... The county plans to build a new government office building at a location where the jail barbed wire along its roofs - loomed for decades.
..... City officials and retail business leaders said the project will produce a substantial improvement to Paterson's downtown landscape,. But county officials have not finalized plans for the new building.
..... The county earlier this year [2024] awarded a $3.375 million contract to Caravella Demolition to known down the jail and remove the debris. That contract included $900,000 just for the asbestos removal, officials said.
..... Under the contract, the work is supposed to be done by the end of May. [2025]