Oamaru's North Otago Returned and Services Association (RSA) building is now asbestos free, raising the prospect it could be returned to use.
Asbestos, discovered in the Itchen St building's lower floor in December, had been removed and taken to the landfill with other internal materials by contractor Nikau Construction, Waitaki District Council assets group manager Neil Jorgensen said yesterday.
He said while the building was "basically a clean building'', the final clean-up was under way.
The council had a budget of $180,000 for the asbestos removal and associated works, which included the asbestos removal and turning the building "back to a shell'' in order to prepare it for future use.
Mr Jorgensen said more work was required to determine what further measures would be required to make the building suitable for a future tenant, but the council would be working on a "whole lot of stuff'' to ensure the building complied with the building code.
In May, Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher said the costs involved in preparing the building for a new tenant would probably preclude community groups that had expressed an interest in using the space. Recouping the costs would probably require a commercial tenant, he said at the time.
The council has declined to comment on the building's future, but Mr Jorgensen said the council was "working on what the next steps would be''.
Late last month, Trustpower community relations manager Graeme Purches said the company had been talking to the council about relocating its Lower Thames St operation to the vacant building.
The Waitaki District Council took over ownership of the building after the dissolution of the North Otago RSA.
