After Delivering $465,000 Earmark, Reed & Whitehouse to Tour Demolition of Ashaway School Building
HOPKINTON, RI – In an effort to advance the community’s long-standing plans to address public health and safety concerns posed by the vacant 120-year-old Ashaway School Building property, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse teamed up to deliver a $465,000 federal earmark for the Town of Hopkinton to safely demolish the 1904 Ashaway School Building, which has been vacant for twenty years.
On Wednesday, August 7 at 1:00 p.m., Senators Reed and Whitehouse will tour the site of the blighted building with town officials and meet with crew members who have been carrying out abatement and demolition work since June.
Discussions about the future of the building have been ongoing since the school’s closure in 2004. Given hazards posed by lead contaminants, asbestos, roof and floor cave ins, and costly repairs as well as the old wooden building’s close proximity to Ashaway Elementary, the decision was made to demolish the structure. The Hopkinton Town Council voted to approve the demolition in 2018.
The $465,000 federal earmark secured by Reed and Whitehouse in the fiscal year 2023 appropriations law is helping Hopkinton address the significant safety concerns posed by the building, which has been deemed a community hazard.
This summer, crews began abatement of hazardous materials in the building. Demolition of the structure is underway and Senators Reed and Whitehouse will tour the property with local leaders to survey progress and the town’s future plans.
Beginning in 2016, steps were taken by the town to document the old building, gather memorabilia from the school, and salvage any useful or significant materials.
