With community pushback, work to begin demolition process starts at Fall River’s Bedford Street police station; certain pieces to be preserved

FALL RIVER ─ It’s been talked about for 30 years, but today there is finally movement to demolish the crumbling Bedford Street police station.

A crew from Connecticut-based Bestech, the company that will take down the 110-year-old structure, were at the site Monday. City Building Inspector Glenn Hathaway said they were setting up equipment in the back area of the building, where the police cars were once worked on, to conduct asbestos abatement.

Hathaway said he hasn’t been given an exact date by Bestech when the actual demolition will begin.

Besides the fact the old police station is a hazard and was condemned by Hathaway, he said he’s up against some time constraint because of the engineering department’s plans to lay the final layer of road on Bedford Street where a lot of construction work has been done this summer.

“I want them off Bedford Street before the repaving begins,” said Hathaway.

During the demolition and removal of the debris, Bedford Street will have to be shut down and fire trucks and equipment from Central Fire Station located across the street will be rerouted.

The demolition will cost just over $1.4 million.

Hathaway did receive some pushback from the Historical Commission and the Preservation Society of Fall River this month for side stepping the required 12-month demolition delay for historic buildings.

The building is considered a hazard and Hathaway said he has the authority under Massachusetts law addressing dangerous structures to order the building down.

But there will be parts of the old police station that will be preserved. Hathaway said the emblem of an eagle on the top of the façade will be going to the Fall Rivere Police Department, as well as the granite “Police Station” sign above the front door.

“They want some of the bricks too. Whatever the police department wants they will have as long as I can get it for them,” said Hathaway.