With the clock ticking and only 11 months before five new residence halls on Catawba College's campus must be completed and ready to occupy, work has begun in earnest on campus to both prepare the building sites and prepare for the demolition of Abernethy Hall.

Furniture in residence halls was first removed, with some of it donated to North Hills Christian School and some to the local Foster Parents' Association, according to Catawba Facilities Director Henry Haywood. Locks have been removed from the doors in Abernethy Hall, as have fire alarms, electrical panels and even commodes, which can be reused on campus. Some of the doors that are interchangeable with the ones in Woodson Hall have also been salvaged.

Asbestos abatement is now ongoing inside in the circa-1966 Abernethy Hall. Outside the building, crews are relocating underground pipes, wiring and geothermal controls for heating and cooling buildings on campus," Haywood said. The abatement should be completed by the end of September, and then beginning Oct. 2, the Knoxville, Tennessee-based E. Luke Green, a demolition company that is environmentally sensitive, will begin the process of dismantling Abernethy.

The demolition company will begin its work by removing pipes, some interior walls and key ceiling supports in the pre-cast building. Meanwhile, members of Catawba's facilities staff will begin removing windows from the building, which may be used in other ways on campus or donated to a charitable building project.

Then, around Oct. 9, heavy equipment will likely be used to push on the exterior walls of the building, causing it to collapse on itself. "Abernethy won't come down with a bang, and some will be disappointed by that," Haywood said, "but it will come down safely and its remains will be recycled into other projects. What has to be taken to the landfill won't be mixed with dangerous materials."