Demolition is ready to begin in earnest on the nurses' residence hall building at the former Metropolitan State Hospital, now that asbestos removal work is complete.

The large brick building, one of two employee dormitories in the former state hospital, will make way for a parking lot that will serve a state conservation and a possible city-owned golf course on the site. The William F. McLaughlin Administration Building will remain standing, and may serve as a clubhouse for the proposed golf course.

Demolition crews have been removing asbestos for the past month.

"It was loaded with asbestos," said Assistant City Planner Alison Steinfeld.
Now, demolition project overseers await the results of air quality tests in and around the building. If the tests show clean air, demolition will be ready to proceed.

"As long as there's nothing in the air, you're safe," said Don Cusano, Waltham clerk of the works.

Waltham-based North American Site Developers is handling the demolition, and removed the asbestos according to specifications laid down by contract engineers earlier this year.

Dormant asbestos is not harmful, but once disturbed, asbestos fibers can disperse through the air. If inhaled, they can cause lung cancer and other respiratory diseases.

President Chris Berardi said North American Site Developers follows precautions set down by state law to prevent release of fibers into the air during asbestos removal.

In this case, the building was sealed with plastic sheeting before the work began. Air filter machines were installed inside to remove asbestos particles from the air, while workers removed the material, wearing protective equipment.

"It's a filter system, like a water filter on your faucet," Berardi said of the machines. The asbestos is then trucked away in sealed containers.
The Waltham Planning Department is designing the parking lot that will take the building's place. The lot will divide the parkway that winds through the former hospital land, making it difficult for drivers to use the parkway as a cut-through.

As of now, that parkway is connected by a temporary patch of pavement.
Steinfeld said by January, the Planning Department will have a better sense of when the parking lot construction project is likely to go out to bid.