MANTEO, N.C. — Four months ago, a devastating early-morning fire shook the Shallowbag Bay Club community and left 10 people without a home. But starting last week, the demolition process began there that saw the majority of the west side of the impacted building demolished down to its foundation.
One neighbor told News 3 that she doesn't mind the noise right next to her home because it's what she calls "the sound of progress." The neighbor knows and has spent time with some of the impacted families over the last few months.
Owners association President Bruce Polansky understands that the demolition and eventual rebuilding construction noise will be an inconvenience for neighbors, but what it's going toward is worth it.
"There will be some inconveniences. But nowhere near the inconvenience of the people that were living in that building are having to deal with right now," said Polansky.
On March 4, a massive fire broke out in the condominium community that left six families without a home. Fire crews determined that lit smoking materials were the likely culprit of the flames. The west side of the building took the most damage and needed to mostly be torn down.
"The demolition company, they actually started on the west side last Tuesday, and at this point they've got the big stuff down. We're trying to save the pilings, which is our foundation. The big work took four days to get down," said Polansky.
A different story on the east side of the building, where much of the work will be internal. The results of an environmental study will decide if more work will need to be done. Polansky said that's to make sure when people move back in, that the air and building quality are safe.
"The east portion will stay up. Interior of the east side, most of that has been gutted by hand, and then once they get into it a little deeper, they may have to gut some more of it," said Polansky.
Polansky said that the current demolition process is expected to last two to three more weeks. The design process for the rebuild is also in motion, but it's unclear how soon that will all start after the demolition is finished.
"The design process has already started. That part is into the insurance company now for approval on the fees for design. Currently, right now, the actual builder is putting together an estimate, which in turn will need to be submitted to the insurance company for approval. Things are in motion, everything's happening, but they go a lot slower than than one would like," said Polansky.
Twelve to 16 months from now — that's the ideal timeline for when the families will have a chance to move back into their homes.
"The numbers I'm hearing are 12 to 16 months from the start of demolition. Start of demolition was July 7th. Fire happened March 4th, so we're already four months in," said Polansky.
But at the end of the day, Polansky understands how hard it is for the six displaced families right now, with Shallowbag Bay Club committed to making sure they'll one day be able to come home.
"We still have six families that are living elsewhere and it's costly for them and a lot of hardships. Our goal here is to just get it rebuilt properly and as quick as possible, so people can get back to their lives," said Polansky.
Click here to see how we use AI at WTKR News 3.
