MAHANOY CITY — The demolition of the former P&R Patron Supermarket began last week to make way for a new school bus garage in the Mahanoy Area School District.
Last December, the school board awarded the contract to Flynn Wrecking Inc., Pottsville, on the low bid of $46,000 to completely demolish the 20,000-square-foot building and the concrete pad under it.
The school board approved the purchase of the property in May 2014 from Patron Markets Inc. for $199,000, which included the building and land around it. The size of the parcel is 2.19 acres and is located east of the Mahanoy Township Municipal Building and in proximity to the Mahanoy Area Middle School building and athletic fields.
The current bus garage is the former Kaier Brewery truck garage on Park Place Road at the north side of Mahanoy City. The building is about 100 years old and is in need of major repair, but since the building is leased, the school board decided it was more prudent to construct a new building rather than spend a large amount of funds to repair and upgrade the current garage that holds the school district’s fleet of nine 72-passenger buses, three 30-passenger buses and eight vans.
The property at 1000 W. Centre St. will also provide additional parking for the school district.
Before the demolition began, it was necessary to remove asbestos. First Capital Insulation Inc., York, was contracted for asbestos removal at a cost of $13,900, which was paid through the Capital Reserve Fund.