Fabio Bruno Construcoes pulls off a neat triple implosion.

Here at Demolition News Towers, we’re always excited when we receive an email from Fabio Pinto. Not only is he a good friend to Demolition News, his emails usually mean that he has just imploded something and has the video footage to prove it.

And his latest email was no exception. This weekend, he oversaw an impressive triple demolition at Vicente de Carvalho in Rio de Janeiro, taking down a pair of 90 metre chimneys at a water tower. Take a look.

Summer edition of Demolition & Dismantling is available to read online NOW.

The Summer 2010 edition of Demolition & Dismantling, the magazine of the National Federation of Demolition Contractors, is available to read online now:

Former Controlled Group employee Colin Hiscock is growing frustrated.

Welcome to Episode 3 of Diary of a Workseeker in which we’re following former Controlled Group employee Colin Hiscock as he attempts to find himself a new job.

In this latest episode, Colin admits that he is growing frustrated and that he has started to look beyond the demolition sector for possible employment. But he also has some words of encouragement for his former colleagues at Controlled as they too seek employment opportunities.

Council seeks contractor to demolish a 29-storey block of flats on Tyneside.

Derwent Tower, in Dunston, Gateshead – which is nicknamed the Dunston Rocket because of its shape – was built in 1973, and has been plagued with problems such as damp. Gateshead Council plans to redevelop the site and hopes work will begin before the end of year.

The 85 metre (280 feet) tall tower block of 196 flats is now empty. Former residents had to put up with low water pressure in the taps and lifts frequently breaking down. The council plans to replace the tower and its 116 adjoining maisonettes with new homes and shops.

A spokeswoman for the council said: “Because of its structural complexity, Derwent Tower will not be demolished with explosives but will be carefully dismantled.

Read more here.

Winning bid comes in a full half million dollars below budget price.

Demolition of four idle buildings on the site of the Paulsboro port project will begin in the next few weeks, according to Gloucester County Improvement Authority officials.

AP Construction, of Blackwood, was awarded the contract for the demolition work at a GCIA meeting Thursday afternoon.

GCIA Administrator George Strachan said this is “the next logical step in construction.”

An empty warehouse, maintenance building and cement structures are included in the demolition. Strachan said the demolition should begin in the next few weeks and is slated to end by spring.

Dirt is still being brought into the port area as a foundation. Strachan said permits are being finalized and once that goes through, general construction efforts will move more quickly.

“The Port of Paulsboro is starting to take shape and we will be looking to bring a general contractor on before the end of the year,” said Freeholder Director Stephen M. Sweeney.

The contract was awarded for $2,056,600 and is being funded by a bond from the South Jersey Port Corporation. Strachan said he’s “pleased” with the amount, since it was more than $500,000 below the construction cost estimate.

Read more here.

EPA to cite firms for violations in Zanesville High School demolition

Concerns raised about demolition operations at the old Zanesville High School site have led to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency getting involved.

Contractor Maiher Demolition of Carroll, as well as Dow Cameron Oil and Gas Drilling Co., will be receiving a notice for violating Ohio EPA rules on disposal.

A dust complaint against Maiher also was logged Thursday with the Ohio EPA’s Southeast District Office in Logan, and Spokeswoman Erin Strouse said two inspectors would be looking into the issues.

“Our Division of Air Pollution Control inspector has been in touch with Maiher Demolition regarding the dust complaint and will be conducting a follow up inspection,” Strouse said. “Our Division of Solid Waste inspector will be sending Maiher Demolition and Dow Cameron Oil and Gas Drilling Co. a notice of violation for illegal disposal.”

Read more here.

Kestrel chicks hatch at Marchwood demolition site

Two chicks have hatched from a kestrel’s nest which halted the demolition of a former waste plant.

Hampshire County Council suspended work in June at Marchwood, near Southampton, after the nest was found.

Two chicks have now hatched from the five eggs in the nest and are doing well and already venturing out, the county council said.

They will be monitored closely and, once they have all left, work will restart at the site.

Read the full story here.

Factory demolition stalled over asbestos fears.

The owner of a former West Virginia pottery factory is at odds with state environmental regulators over the demolition of crumbling buildings that contain toxic asbestos.

The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection has gone to court to bar contractor Nick Masciarelli from demolishing the former Taylor Smith & Taylor pottery factory, contending that he has refused to remove the asbestos properly, according to a report in The Charleston Gazette.

Masciarelli, who purchased the property about 18 months ago, with plans to demolish the buildings, said he can’t remove the asbestos the way that state environmental regulators want because the crumbling factory buildings are dangerously unstable and unsafe for his workers to enter. A hearing is scheduled on Aug. 24.

Read the full story here.

Demolition companies among potential buyers of GM plant.

Moraine City Manager David Hicks thinks a sale of the former General Motors assembly plant property is imminent, and he envisions the 121 hectare (300-acre) property having up to 10 users, all operating under a landlord owner.

Hicks also thinks city leaders will have input on Motors Liquidation Co.’s choice of buyer, although he doesn’t think the city will have “veto authority.”

In a memo to Moraine City Council , Hicks said “demolition companies” are among the potential purchasers, but he told the Dayton Daily News recently that he hopes the site avoids demolition.

“We’d rather have a building than a vacant lot,” Hicks said.

Read the full story here.

Green light for removal of defunct Verrazano-Narrows bridge toll booths.

The obsolete toll booths on the Brooklyn bound lanes of the Verrazano-Narrows bridge have finally been slated for removal. Federal, city, state and MTA officials are working together as part of a yearlong, $2.5 million project to demolish the first eight east-bound toll booths that have not been used since one-way tolling began on the bridge in 1986.

The project also includes removing concrete islands, canopy structures, electronic signs, and concrete and asphalt restoration.