Ask Mr. Answer Person: "Was asbestos abatement done for the Bluffs Inn demolition?"

Paul e-mails: "I was wondering whether you knew who was contracted to do the asbestos abatement at the Cliff House (Bluffs Inn)?  As part of Rebound Hospitality's pitch to the city as to why the project was worthy of receiving taxpayer money, Mr. Reese argued numerous times the site posed unique challenges not typically associated with a new development, including demolition of the existing building, asbestos abatement and others.  I suspect heating and plumbing systems of a commercial building of that vintage contained much wrapped asbestos."

Mr. Answer Person says: "Your hunches are right on the mark.  Brett Reese says Rebound Hospitality had to hire a firm that specializes in asbestos removal.  Workers from the company came in before a single brick had been removed from the Bluffs Inn and handled the asbestos abatement, which included special steps to dispose of the asbestos.

Demolition of the Bluffs Inn is continuing, but before any of that work began, all of the asbestos was removed from the buildings.  As you say, commercial buildings of the vintage of Bluffs Inn (built in the 1960s as the Cliff House) contained asbestos--and Reese says asbestos was discovered in the building, but properly disposed of.