Efforts to scrap floating barge lead to sinking and environmental concerns.

The ugly demise of the beached and broken Davy Crockett, now the subject of a multimillion-dollar federal recovery effort, unfolded only after years of neglect.

The former Liberty ship has languished for almost two decades along the north bank of the Columbia River between Vancouver and Camas. At one point, a former owner warned the U.S. Coast Guard that the 431-foot vessel appeared to be at risk of coming loose from its mooring and careening into the nearby shipping channel.

However, little changed except the vessel’s ownership. And, By the end of last year, benign neglect evolved to active dismantling.

Now, dozens of Coast Guardsmen and cleanup contractors are swarming the converted barge. State authorities have attributed the sad state of the Davy Crockett — beached, broken and leaching PCB-tainted oil into the river — to owner Brett Simpson of Ellensburg. They said an apparent effort to scrap the vessel while it was afloat weakened the Crockett to the point that its midsection buckled and sank.

There is nothing inherently illegal about scrapping an old ship, according to Kim Schmanke, a spokeswoman for the Washington Department of Ecology. However, it is illegal to do so without a permit or in a way that pollutes a river or waterway. Simpson had no permit, she said.

“From our perspective, it’s doubtful ship demolition could be done in water or along a shoreline without some kind of solid or liquid waste material getting into the waters of the state,” Schmanke said in an e-mail.

Read the full story here.

Work stalled until US Coast Guard gives green light.

It is a story that is threatening to run as long as the bridge it features has stood. But the ongoing battle to demolish the Bellaire Bridge has hit another stumbling block: The general contractor on the demolition job said the U.S. Coast Guard will not issue a notice to proceed at the current time.

KDC Investments recently won a battle in court, after a judge sided with the company confirming KDC had the title to the bridge. The company that contested that ownership, Advanced Explosives Demolition has filed an appeal which ties up the case in court again. Because of that, a Coast Guard representative says they will wait until the court case is resolved before issuing the notice to proceed.

Lee Chaklos of Delta Demolition said the Coast Guard’s decision doesn’t bring the project to a standstill. Chaklos said he has a subcontractor from Shadyside — R & D Concrete — taking core samples of concrete and steel. He said those samples will help determine if the bridge is structurally sound enough to hold the equipment needed for demolition.

Chaklos said he found out around 9 a.m about the Coast Guard holding the notice to proceed. However, he said it won’t stop him from applying for a permit from the city of Benwood and there are several tasks the company can handle in the near future.

“To the best of our knowledge, we don’t need a permit to work on the bridge over the water. As long as we take out the approach ramp, as long as we excavate the concrete and not do any structural damage to where the bridge would fall in the water, I don’t believe we would need a Coast Guard notice to proceed,” Chaklos said.

Read more here or view the news video below.

Collective stupidity causes chimney demolition fail.

As regular readers of DemolitionNews will testify, demolishing chimneys using mechanical and explosive techniques can be problematic. But it appears that the challenges extend even to manual demolition means, as this video from an unnamed location (presumably in Eastern Europe) illustrates beautifully:

Union workers want unpaid benefits from New York demolition firm

A local union group has filed an involuntary bankruptcy petition against a Syracuse company, alleging the firm failed to pay fringe benefits to employees who completed demolition work at the BayerCrop Science plant in Institute. Federal Magistrate Mary E. Stanley signed off on a judgment order in August that requires Bianchi to pay $205,000 to the West Virginia Laborers’ District Council and its affiliates. The union says it hasn’t been paid.

“We’re in the process of trying to pursue this money from a New York corporation,” said Steven Smith, administrative manager for the West Virginia Laborers’ Pension Trust Fund. “They’ve forgotten to pay their bills. I can’t say anything beyond that because we’re in litigation.”

The union alleged that Bianchi breached its collective-bargaining agreement because the company didn’t pay health and pension benefits to about 40 employees who worked on a 2008-09 demolition project at the Bayer CropScience plant.

Read more here.

Council moves demolition deadline amidst delays.

The long-awaited demolition of the notorious Royal Court tower blocks has been delayed until September.

Work was due to begin last November and completed by this summer, but the latest setback to the project was caused by lengthy negotiations over a shopkeeper’s move and delays to the completion of the first phase of the project.

The demolition of the two empty towers in Laindon is part of a £13 million project under which 129 homes, a community centre and a shop will be built on the site, which has a history of antisocial behaviour. Some of the housing has already been constructed, but this took longer than expected.

Basildon Council leader Tony Ball said: “I hope this gives people the confidence it definitely will happen and I’ve been reassured it will be done by September. “The fact they have started stripping out asbestos gives us confidence.”

The regeneration project has suffered several setbacks. Plans were approved by Basildon Council in December 2007 and work was expected to begin in early 2008, before funding problems hit. The project suffered a further setback last year because a number of Royal Court residents could not move into the new £17 million development next door, due to problems with the electricity supply.

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AED seeks decision reversal following bridge ownership court findings.

Newspapers based close to the disputed Bellaire Bridge are reporting that District Judge John T. Mitchell of Kootenai County, Idaho, issued a memorandum Monday stating a demolition agreement between Advanced Explosives Demolition and KDC Investments was an “illegal contract from AED’s standpoint.” The agreement was not valid since AED failed “to obtain a valid contractor’s license and procure the necessary permits before entering into the demolition agreement with KDC,” the memorandum continues.

But DemolitionNews can exclusively reveal that AED owner Eric Kelly is not taking this decision lying down and has appointed legal counsel to have the court’s decision overturned and, ultimately, to pursue an appeal.

We have been given access to a letter drawn up by AED’s legal counsel – Art Bistline – and it is reproduced verbatim below:

To Whom It May Concern:

Arthur M. Bistline
1423 N. Government Way
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 83814

Chinese man sentenced to death in enforced demolition case

A man in north China’s Shanxi province has been sentenced to death after he killed one man and injured another during an illegal demolition last year.Gao Haidong was given the death penalty after being convicted of intentional injury and property damage, Xinhua reported citing the verdict by a court in Taiyuan city.

Two other accused – Wu Ruijun and Li Yanzhong – were given death sentences with a two-year reprieve and life imprisonment respectively.

Wu and Li plotted the forced demolition of two houses owned by Wu Wenyuan and Meng Fugui in Guzhai village in Taiyuan, capital of Shanxi, in October, the court found.

Read the full story here.

AED cites fraud but court finds in favour of KDC Investments.

It is a bridge that has changed ownership with the rapidity and frequency that most of us change our socks. But the disputed ownership of the Bellaire Bridge finally seems to have been settled. For now.

According to attorney Randall Schmitz, KDC Investments owns the bridge, but Advanced Explosives Demolition (AED), claimed it was fraudulently induced to selling the bridge. According to court documents, a district judge determined that there was no evidence of fraud and ownership remains with KDC.

Delta Demolition’s Lee Chaklos said he is looking forward to starting work after a series of delays in court. He said the next steps include waiting for the Coast Guard to reinstate a notice to proceed, and a permit from the city of Benwood.

“I believe that if there’s anything that the city needs from us, it should be something that we already have and if we don’t it should be so minute that it won’t take us but maybe a few days to get,” he said. Chaklos said they will also have to get an asbestos notice from an asbestos contractor, along with a 2-day mariner’s notice. “Once the mariners’ notice has expired and we have permit in hand, we’re going to go ahead and start work on the bridge,” he said.

But while Chaklos makes ready to mobilise, the fat lady hasn’t started singing quite yet. Schmitz said AED has 42 days to file an appeal.

Read more here.

Bridge tumbles faster than a high roller’s luck in Las Vegas.

Crews from Las Vegas Paving will spend Monday night demolishing the Warm Springs Bridge near Interstate 15. The bridge has stood since the presidency of John F. Kennedy.

Unlike most Las Vegas demolitions which are over in seconds, this demolition will be done over several hours. Hydraulic hammers, sheers, and pulverizers started knocking the bridge down around 10 p.m. Monday. They will stay at it until the bridge is gone for good.

A modern four-lane bridge will replace the old two-lane bridge. It could eventually expand to six lanes.

Read more here, or view the video below:

Memorial Coliseum deadline moved to March

After months of delays in demolishing Memorial Coliseum, city officials now say work will be complete by early March.

Demolition began last May, and the original deadline of 12 August has been rescheduled several times. The latest one was the end of January. City officials sent a letter in mid-January to contractor A&R Demolition and its bonding company to resolve ongoing delays.

City Project Manager Jerry Shoemaker said the demolition company, which is having financial struggles, did commit to finishing the project, a promise vetted by the bonding company.

“We could go ahead and suspend the work and do it ourselves, but that could open it up to a lot of problems,” Shoemaker said. “This is really the best scenario for the city.”

Personnel changes, money problems and bad weather have delayed work. The company owes the city thousands of dollars with $500 added each day the project stays incomplete. A company official could not be immediately reached for comment.

Over the past week, contractors have been working at the site and using heavy machinery to dig out a final portion of the structure — anchors of the building located five feet below ground. Once that work is complete, contractors will add backfill, an irrigation system and grass seeding.

Read more here.