It's the end for this historic downtown location

Demolition is underway in downtown Swift Current, as a 109-year-old building is being removed. 

The historic offices at 26 Central Avenue North are being demolished, after they were deemed unsafe and unfit for restoration. 

Undertaking the demolition is AFCG Construction from Calgary. The Alberta-based business was awarded the contract after no local company could be brought in to do the work.

Overseeing the removal of the rubble now that they have started tearing down the building was Deric Beaulieu, president of AFCG Construction. 

Deric Beaulieu, president of AFCG Construction. 

"We're pretty much the expert in demolition in Calgary," said Beaulieu. "We had to do the abatement first because we tested it, and there was a bunch of asbestos."

Beaulieu said that the demolition is taking longer than expected due to the years of renovations. 

"The way the building is built with all those layers, it's almost like doing a demo for two to or three buildings," Beaulieu said. "So I'm expecting to be done maybe within two weeks for the clean up and for everything to be removed."

The sidewalks are also blocked off to allow for the work to proceed safely.

Part of the adjacent street is closed as trucks come and remove the rubble. Traffic is advised to proceed with caution, and to be cognisant of the ongoing work. 

If anyone would like to contact Beaulieu about demolition or other construction work, he can be reached at 1-587-968-6589.