A contractor has been hired to demolish a crippled Marion County building in Knoxville.
Marion County Maintenance Director Cal Stephens says asbestos found in the building, located at 113 & 115 Third Street in the downtown square, has been removed and certification from a structural inspection allows the contractor, Cushman Excavating from Harvey, IA, to enter the building and demolition to start.
Stephens says contractors will begin by taking down the top part of the building for safety reasons. After the top part is removed, businesses near the building that have been closed can be reoccupied.