Crews tearing down the old Richmond High School for the Arts building have hit a costly snag: significant amounts of asbestos encased in the walls, a discovery that officials say must be cleared before demolition can move forward. The finding is expected to add millions of dollars and months of delay to a project that once had a much tighter timeline.
Officials say the asbestos was “encased in the walls” of the old building, according to a construction update cited by WRIC ABC 8News. The discovery may increase the cost of demolition by around $3 million to $5 million, per that same update, while 12 On Your Side separately reported that the asbestos is expected to add between $3 million and $5 million to the demolition cost. Richmond Public Schools has indicated that the material must be removed before work can proceed, per that station's report.
The timeline is also stretching. The labor-intensive abatement work will add an estimated four to seven months to the project timeline, the construction update noted, while the other outlet described the delay as something that could add four to seven months to the project. The second phase of demolition was originally expected to finish by fall 2027, but the school division now lists a tentative completion date of summer 2028, the same account reported.
Board Set to Discuss the Findings
The asbestos findings were scheduled to be discussed at a Richmond Public Schools board meeting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, according to the meeting notice referenced in the construction update. That timing puts the discovery squarely in front of school board members just as the division works out how to absorb the added cost and delay.
This is not the first time asbestos has complicated things for Richmond Public Schools. Exposed asbestos in Summer Hill Preschool's auditorium led to that school's graduation ceremony being moved in 2024, according to VPM. That same year, a separate inspection at Elizabeth D. Redd Elementary School found tens of thousands of square feet of asbestos-containing floor and ceiling tiles, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported.
A New Building Already Up and Running
While the old building awaits abatement, the new Richmond High School for the Arts facility has already opened. The new school cost about $150 million, according to the WRIC ribbon-cutting coverage. Reports differ on how many students the new building can hold: WRIC described a 300,000-square-foot facility that can hold just under 2,000 students, while 12 On Your Side reported it was designed to hold more than 2,000 students.
Under Virginia Code § 36-99.7, asbestos inspection rules for buildings being renovated or demolished do not apply when the combined amount of regulated asbestos-containing material falls below certain thresholds — 260 linear feet on pipes, 160 square feet on other facility components, or 35 cubic feet off facility components when length or area could not previously be measured. The statute also specifies that an abatement area may not be reoccupied until the building official receives the owner's certification that response actions are complete and final clearances have been measured. The evidence available does not establish which rules or permits specifically apply to the old RHSA demolition.
