Company collapse brings Basingstoke rejuvenation to standstill.

But the company went into administration on December 23, meaning that work to tear down the 10-storey blocks has not restarted after the Christmas break. However, borough chiefs who are behind the scheme, say they are confident the work will continue and may be completed within three months once a new contractor has been found.

Cllr James Lewin, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council Cabinet Member for Finance, said: “The council remains totally committed to creating a 21st Century urban business park of regional importance as part of our transformation of Basingstoke town centre. The demolition company going into administration is unfortunate but we are in a strong position with half of the most difficult work already completed. Therefore, I remain confident that we should still be able to complete the contract within the earmarked growth point funding we received from central government and with only a few months’ delay.”

He said officers have been in discussions with the administrators and are working to get the project back on track as quickly as possible. The demolition had been scheduled for completion by April this year, but could still be finished in the summer.

Read more here.

US motor industry takes another blow as another GM plant faces the wrecking ball.

The City of Wyoming is releasing plans for the former General Motors plant on 36th Street in Wyoming, Michigan.

Lormax Stern Development from West Bloomfield, Michigan has agreed to buy the plant and work with the City of Wyoming to redevelop the property. WZZM 13’s Peter Ross says that the land would be redeveloped for advanced manufacturing or as an industrial park.

Lormax Stern plans to demolish the plant. Then, the company intends to sell the location back to the city of Wyoming for $1.

Read more here.

Don’t you wish you’d read this before you set up YOUR demolition business.

If you’re a regular reader of DemolitionNews.com, the chances are you’re probably already running or working in an existing demolition business. But if by some obscure chance you’re considering starting a ew demolition business and are using this site purely for research purposes, then oh boy do we have the article for you.

According to this exhaustively-researched article which was clearly written by demolition’s answer to William Shakespeare, lays out in simple steps the process of starting a new demolition company. Apparently, preparing a budget is step one, followed by coming up with a suitable name, designing a logo, obtaining a permit and acquiring suitable accommodation for what is sure to be a market-leading company overnight.

Now, by this time, I am sure you’re starting to wonder just when we’re going to get to the need for attaining skills and qualifications in the demolition process. But don’t worry, your wait is over.

Step five in the 6-step process is hiring employees. And it is here where the wisdom of the writer really comes to the fore:

“…It is best to hire the individuals who have background on demolition services so that one will not have to worry about training employees. One can start with a small number of staff and eventually hire more if the business hit big….”

You can read the article’s other pearls of wisdom here and comment below; just don’t expect a response from us right away as we’re off to start our own demolition company this afternoon. Brandenburg beware!

Council to pick demolition company for Holly Street Power Plant later today.

It is a bidding process that has lasted almost as long as the forthcoming demolition is likely to; and a story that has taken more twists and turns than a drunken slalom skier. But the decision over who finally gets to tear down the Holly Street power plant is expected later today, bringing to a partial conclusion a bid and counter-bid process that has seen the contract variously valued at $7 million and $27 million and just about all figures in between.

Last May six contractors bid on the demolition project. The lowest bid was just under $14 million. The highest was almost $27 million. Less than one point separates the top two scoring companies and a $6 million difference in bid price.

Council Member Randi Shade says demolishing a power plant is not the kind of work the city does every day. She wants to understand the difference between the top two proposals.

“This was not a project put out for a bid solely based on price,” Shade said. “It was based on the team’s experience. It was based on the scope of the work.”

Read more here or watch the video below:

Bridge sale and demolition dispute set for 22 February hearing

A hearing pertaining to summary judgment over the Bellaire Bridge dispute will take place today in Kootenai County, Idaho, according to Lee Chaklos of Delta Demolition and KDC Investments. KDC and AED both claim ownership of the Bellaire Bridge. A full trial in the dispute has been set for 22 February.

KDC previously sought an injunction from the court that would have permitted the firm to begin work to take down the span while court action continued. That injunction was denied by a Dec. 15 court ruling that there are too many “unresolved issues” in the case.

The court order notes that the federal district court in Ohio on Dec. 23, 2009 ordered the bridge to be demolished by no later than Dec. 21, 2011. At the time of that order, the bridge was owned by Bellaire businessman Roger Barack. Barack sold the bridge to AED in May 2010 for $1.

Two separate agreements next were discussed by AED and KDC in the following days.

The first was a “purchase agreement,” in which KDC agreed to purchase the bridge from AED for $25,000. The agreement was signed May 20, 2010, and KDC assumed responsibility for “proper demolition and removal (of the bridge) on or before June 1, 2011.”

The second was a “demolition agreement” executed on June 1, 2010, in which KDC agreed to hire AED to blast the bridge once preliminary demolition was complete. This demolition agreement lacked a signature on its first page from KDC, according to the order.

KDC since has opted to not use AED for the Bellaire Bridge project, prompting AED to seek court action. KDC ignores a bigger legal question, according to the order.

“If AED is administratively dissolved prior to entering into the purchase agreement – and a dissolved corporation cannot transact business other than to wind up its affairs – then how could AED have entered in to the sale agreement with KDC?” the court order asked.

Calls to AED at the phone number listed on its website receive a recorded message saying the number “has been disabled.”

Chaklos pointed out other remarks in the order noting that AED did not return to KDC the $25,000 the firm paid to AED for the bridge, and unless that happened KDC owns the bridge.

AED owner Eric Kelley and his attorney “can’t get the bridge back,” Chaklos said. “We tendered the money. It is ours. He did not offer to buy it back.”

Read the full story here.

Demolition of former barracks stirs memories of Northern Ireland’s troubled past.

There were times, in the not too distant past, when residents of Northern Ireland must have wondered if their segregated homeland would ever see peace. And there were few more potent symbols of that country’s troubles than the Short Strand barracks used by both the Royal Ulster Constabulary and the British Army during its prolonged occupation.

But like Northern Ireland’s troubles, the barracks’ divisive power is now a thing of the past and it is being demolished to make way for new and much-needed social housing.

And if that wasn’t sufficient proof that Northern Ireland is a very different country today, the fact that the following video is produced by Sinn Fein television – historically the most vocal opponents to the barracks – surely is.

After the implosion comes the clean-up operation.

After the 5 December 2010 implosion of the football stadium’s west grandstand, crews began clearing away the rubble to begin the $105 million renovation of TCU’s Amon G. Carter Stadium.

Ross Bailey, associate athletics director for operations, said the clean-up of more than 500 truckloads of debris should be completed in one more week. “We got our own little force of Tonka toys out there, all with a different function,” Bailey said.

Bailey said more than 90 percent of the debris from the implosion would be recycled into other projects worked on by the construction company.

Athletics director Chris Del Conte said HKS Sports & Entertainment, the construction company working on the stadium renovation, was also responsible for the construction of Cowboys Stadium and the American Airlines Center.

Read more here.

Crews called in after partial collapse of Atlantic City theatre.

At roughly the same time that Sean McNulty was dangling by a thread following the collapse of the roof at the Landmark Theatre, demolition crews were making safe another partially collapsed US theatre, theis time in Atlantic City.

Demolition started at the Levoy Theatre on Monday, a week after part of building suddenly collapsed.
Crews from Garton’s Rigging began cutting and removing steel from the site on the 100 block of North High Street, while bystanders watched the demolition work from a safe distance across the street.

About one-third of the 102-year-old theater collapsed last week with little warning, damaging an adjacent building that housed a tea room that later was condemned. A city firefighter was injured in the collapse.

Read more here.

Worker left dangling following theatre roof collapse returns to work.

A demolition worker was back on the job on Tuesday – the day after he hung suspended following a partial collapse of the Landmark Theatre’s roof.

On Monday, Syracuse Fire Department personnel used cherry pickers to get to the roof where they found 38-year-old Sean McNulty.

When part of the roof gave way, he fell through. His harness held firm, however, and two of his Sabre Demolition co-workers placed additional safety straps on him while they waited for help.

Read more here.

Man rescued after falling during Landmark Theatre roof demolition

One person was rescued after falling while working on a demolition of Syracuse’s Landmark Theatre’s roof Monday afternoon. A safety harness saved him from falling six stories, but left him dangling.

The rescued man was working on a scheduled and controlled demolition of the Landmark’s roof before a concrete block shifted, causing his fall from the beam he was standing on. His safety harness broke his fall about eight feet down, and while he was dangling another worker connected him with a second safety line. He was hanging on the back side of the theater, facing Clinton Street.

The fire department arrived and utilized two “cherry pickers” to reach the roof and bring the man to safety.

“If he didn’t have his fall protection on, he would have fallen all the way down,” said Fire Chief Mark McLees. “OSHA only allows you to fall so far before that fall protection is supposed to grab, so it worked as designed.”

Read more here or view the dramatic rescue video below: