The end is near, for the former Carmelite monastery building.

Members of the Barrington Town Council recently signed off on a deal with a firm that will provide consulting services for the abatement and demolition of the former monastery building, which is located on the property at 25 Watson Ave. and overlooks Narragansett Bay.  

The consulting services, separate from the actual demolition costs, will run taxpayers $62,800 plus an additional 20 percent contingency.

The removal of the former monastery will clear the way for the development of the property. 

Barrington has already signed a purchase and sale agreement with a developer who plans to build a 12-unit cottage style pocket neighborhood on 1.75 acres. Barrington is also subdividing a portion of the property and selling off six single-family house lots. A little less than two acres of the property will be converted into a public park. 

(Town officials anticipate that the actual demolition of the building could cost $1 million or more. Officials plan to use projected revenue from the sale of the single family lots to pay for the demolition and abatement work.)

During the March 3 meeting, councilors spoke with Mark House, an official with Verdantas LLC of Pawtucket. House shared an overview of the consulting work his firm would conduct. A council memo detailed the scope of the work — project management and contract administration; supplemental asbestos-containing material survey and abatement plan; abatement and demolition oversight and monitoring; and demolition oversight and perimeter monitoring.

House told council members it was a pretty standard approach, adding that the firm would also file a final report once the work is finished. 

Councilor Jordan Jancosek asked if heavy winds at the worksite would impact the process — would the firm notify residents living in that neighborhood, she asked. 

House said Verdantas would communicate with abutters before any work takes place. Later in the discussion, Hervey said a notice to neighbors is part of the demolition permitting process. 

Blaise Rein lives on Waterway. He asked about the funding for the work and also posed a salvage question — Rein wanted to know if there would be an opportunity for people to remove items from the building before the structure is razed. Rein had considered re-using the pews from the monastery, possibly turning them into park benches that could be used in the planned park.

House recommended that the town salvage anything they seem worthy before the demolition company does its work. Hervey referenced the stained glass at the monastery and the wooden doors. He said the pews have already been removed from the structure. Jancosek suggested the town loop in the Barrington Preservation Society as part of the process. 

Diane Lipscombe lives near the monastery, and asked what would happen if asbestos contamination was discovered on neighboring properties. House explained that while his firm would be conducting testing daily, there was a 24-hour delay in getting back results. 

Edward Hawrot asked what would trigger a stoppage in the demolition. 

Councilor Liana Cassar asked House to explain how the asbestos removal process would work. House said the abatement would be encapsulated, he also referenced using “the wet method” for removal — asbestos would be removed prior to demolition. House said the asbestos removal process would stop if any contaminants are found outside the work zone. 

House also said the town could station a person on-site to conduct the monitoring and testing. 

Later in the discussion, Barrington Town Council President Braxton Cloutier made a motion to approve the contract with Verdantas LLC. Berard seconded the motion, which passed 5-0.