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Demolition At Sandy Hook Elementary School Under Way

NEWTOWN, Conn. (CBSNewYork) -- A physical sign of one of the nation's greatest tragedies is being erased.

Demolition crews are leveling Sandy Hook Elementary School where 20 children and six adults were killed last December.

Trucks arriving to pick up debris from the partially demolished building were being met by uniformed guards at the gate leading up to the school Friday.

The project is hidden behind a wall of security and "no trespassing" signs are everywhere, CBS 2's Lou Young reported, but from the air you can see demolition is well under way.

Newtown First Selectman Pat Llodra issued a statement saying the demolition process will take many weeks.

"The process of demolition is incremental, staged precisely and executed carefully," she said. "There is no wrecking ball action; it is rather a piece-by-piece, section-by-section removal."

The fate of the 57-year-old building was decided by a 28-member task force of elected officials following a series of public hearings.

The decision was made not only to demolish the school, but to pulverize the debris. The town wants no grim mementos to survive, Young reported.

Workers on the project have also been required to sign confidentiality agreements.

Newtown is using a $50 million state grant to build a replacement structure on the property. The new school is expected to begin accepting students in about three years.

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