Community Corner

VIDEO: Asbestos and Other Roofing Materials Hauled Away From Condemned San Gorgonio Inn

A truck driver preparing two trailer containers of hazardous materials for hauling from the San Gorgonio Inn in Banning said they were bound for a landfill in Arizona.

A big rig driver left the San Gorgonio Inn in Banning on Thursday afternoon with two trailer containers containing asbestos and other materials torn off the roof of the condemned structure.

The truck driver said he was taking the loads to a La Paz County landfill north of Quartzsite, Az.

The San Gorgonio Inn, which first opened more than 125 years ago, is scheduled to be leveled on Monday.

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Workers started tearing the roof off the aged landmark and removing asbestos from the building shortly after 7 a.m. Wednesday.

The workers put on white plastic coveralls and wore masks to protect themselves from asbestos particles. Signs posted around the work site across Ramsey Street from City Hall warned of the dangers associated with asbestos, including cancer and lung disease hazards.

Find out what's happening in Banning-Beaumontwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A foreman at the site Wednesday morning said asbestos removal would continue through Thursday.

The City Council voted 5-0 in January to approve a contractor's bid to demolish the inn and the old West Coast Electric building across Alessandro Street for no more than $99,000.


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