The days are numbered for the long-vacant Haynes Tower building at A-B Tech’s Enka campus now that the Buncombe County Commission has approved a $648,990 contract for demolition.
On Thursday, commissioners approved a single prime contract with D.H. Griffin for demolition of the building, which once housed classrooms for continuing education and other programs at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College.
The building has been vacant since mid-2015 and was first approved for demolition in 2022. Although some area residents imagined other uses for the building, county and community college officials determined it was more cost effective to demolish than renovate the building, according to published reports.
The contract scope includes hazardous materials abatement and recycling, disconnection of utilities, building demolition, recycling efforts to reduce the amount of materials sent to landfills and re-grading the site.
According to Buncombe County, demolition is expected to take 180 days.