The Midland City Council approved the demolition of the former Midland County Courthouse and two city-owned office buildings by approving the contractor for the job, making way for new downtown projects such as Santa Rita Hotel.

Council approved Lloyd D. Nabors Demolition LLC of Hutchins to remove asbestos and demolish the buildings with a winning bid of $2.8 million, which was the lowest bid out of the five the city received for the project. $1.4 million of the amount is specifically for the demolition of the courthouse.

The buildings to be demolished are the former Midland County Courthouse at West Wall Street and North Colorado Street, the Midland Executive Center and the Mid-America Building

Mayor Jerry Morales said the asbestos removal is expected to begin sometime in early April and end in the summer. The actual demolition will then start at that time and be completed within the first two months of 2016.

The project is expected to last 306 days from the start of the abatement.