Award of demolition contract to city official’s brother’s employer raises eyebrows.

City officials in Gary, Indiana are defending themselves against allegations of favoritism after awarding demolition work to a contractor employing relatives of Gary officials.

It comes as city officials prepare for a quantum leap in such work, as much as $24.7 million in federal stimulus funds to raze 1,124 abandoned houses and businesses throughout Gary.

Gary Redevelopment Director Vanesse Dabney said last week that Gary Material Supply LLC, of 7318 W. 15th Ave., received the contract for tearing down a building at 16th Avenue and Massachusetts Street this week because he was the low bidder, not because the owner William J. Critser employs her brother.

“I don’t really get into my brother’s business. He doesn’t live with me,” she said.

Gary Mayor Rudy Clay said his son works for Critser, too, but the mayor said he has little personal involvement or knowledge of demolition work. “To say that is why somebody got a contract is ludicrous hogwash,” Clay said.

Read the full story here.

Subsidies from TV companies could create pricing imbalance and put lives at risk.

The highly competitive nature of the demolition industry largely ensures that contractors large and small are competing on a level playing field. For while a larger company may have larger overheads, the universal cost of the manpower, training, equipment, fuel and insurance required to complete a contract are more or less the same, a fact that is usually confirmed in the narrow bid spread encountered in non-recession times.

But what if one company had a $50,000 ace in the hole; an unwritten (and undisclosed) subsidy that it could fall back upon if negotiations became a little tight?

Well, according to one unnamed US demolition professional, that is precisely what can happen when TV and film companies show an interest in a specific project. According to this unnamed insider, exclusive rights for a one-off documentary could be worth between $40,000 and $50,000, rising to considerably more for a documentary series.

On a day when the Lexington Herald Leader reported that a TV company was involved in deciding the demolition method to be used to fell Owensboro’s Big E Executive Inn, such suggestions seems plausible, and more than a little worrying.

Of course, those that are receiving money from TV or film companies will claim that this is merely good business and that it helps show the demolition industry in a good, positive, and revealing light. And, as a regular viewer of programs such as The Detonators, I partially share this view.

But what concerns me is the thought that demolition processes and procedures are being twisted and bent to accommodate the media spotlight.

If the Big E is imploded or “tripped”, will it be because that was the most appropriate method for that specific project; or will it have been selected purely to satisfy the demands of the TV directors and producers?

And where does this end?

In the days of citizen journalism and YouTube when each implosion or high profile demolition project attracts the interest of hundreds of individuals armed with video cameras, could a TV network secure exclusive footage by filming within a prescribed exclusion zone? And, if so, who is responsible if someone is hurt or worse, killed?

In many ways, demolition is a unique industry: it is part art, part science, and works best when accompanied by a healthy dose of experience.

I don’t blame demolition contractors from climbing into bed with TV and film companies, particularly when work is so hard to come by and when margins are as thin as a supermodel’s waistline.

But if there is even the smallest chance that such a union could result in the use of improper or dangerous methods, the industry needs to come up with an anti-TV contraceptive….and quick.

Philadelphia Steam Plant implosion “dangerously close” to Amtrak rail lines.

A US demolition expert has voiced concerns over the planned implosion of the old PRR steam plant (now owned by Amtrak), located next to 30th Street Station in downtown Philadelphia.

The expert, who has chosen to remain anonymous, believes that the chimney’s close proximity to the main North-South artery of the Amtrak rail network means the contract is fraught with danger.

“A three or four degree mistake on the implosion and the entire East Coast rail network could be disrupted for a very long time,” he says. “In my opinion, it’s too much risk for too little gain.”

This aerial photo shows just how close the towering chimney actually is to the rail tracks.

The plant is scheduled to be imploded on 8 November.

Cirrus Research unveils new Optimus range of sound level meters.

Cirrus Research plc, the UK company which specialises in the design and development of noise measurement equipment, has launched a whole new generation of sound level meters under the brand name ‘optimus’. Featuring smart design and advanced technology, Cirrus’ optimus sound level meters will set new standards for ease of use, flexibility and practicality.

“The research we undertook at the beginning of this project was clear: Noise measurement and health & safety professionals are looking for sound measurement equipment which is easy to use, flexible and upgradeable. Our new optimus range meets their requirements exactly,” say group marketing manager James Tingay. “It takes just three button presses to make a noise measurement using our new optimus meter: ‘On’, ‘Calibrate’ and ‘Start’. The instrument then takes all the necessary measurements simultaneously before displaying the results on a large, easy to read colour OLED display. New software allows voice tags to be recorded for future reference. As for on-going flexibility, optimus users will be able to upgrade their instrument, at any time in the future, should their needs change.”

To ensure that the measurements made with an optimus sound level meter can be validated, all of the optimus instruments feature the unique LifeTime archive. This automatically stores the most important parameters into a protected and secure section of memory which can only be accessed and downloaded using a special software program.

Coleman & Co. score high-rise hat-trick in Edinburgh.

Three tower blocks have been demolished in Edinburgh, with a controlled explosion, to make way for new housing. Schoolboy Robert Millar, 11, pushed the button which brought down Garvald, Soutra and Fala Courts in the Gracemount area of south Edinburgh.

The multi-storey blocks have been demolished so that redevelopment in the area can take place. Up to 220 new modern homes which better suit the needs of the community will be built in their place.

Clean up starts at laboratory responsible for world’s first atomic bomb.

Technical Area 21, at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, is being cleared of its buildings and cleaned up with $212 million of federal stimulus money.

During the Manhattan Project, the scientists building the world’s first atomic bomb moved their plutonium processing operations here. Rain and hail fell on a recent morning as workers began the demolition project.

Click here for further details and a slideshow of the initial demolition activities.

Big E Demolition method to be decided by TV company?

According to a news story from the Lexington Herald Leader, the demolition method to be used to fell Kentucky’s Executive Inn will be decided – at least in part – by a TV company.

The Executive Inn Rivermont will be taken down by explosives or structurally weakened to the point that it collapses into its own footprint, The Messenger-Inquirer of Owensboro reported. In either case, the process will be filmed by The Learning Channel for a documentary the network is shooting.

The decision on which method will be used is being made by The Learning Channel and the demolition firm that is part of the documentary.

Read the full story here.

Thousands turn out to watch University Hall implosion.

The implosion of University Hall on Angelo State University attracted thousands to witness a piece of the university’s history go out with a bang early Sunday morning. The demolition went through as planned for the outdated, 41-year-old former residence hall once known as the women’s high rise.

Just before 8:15 a.m. the box with the detonation switch was brought to the area in front of the Junell Center. The box was brought in at the last moment because the demolition company didn’t want a premature detonation. Alvin New, ASU graduate and former CEO of Town & Country convenience stores, placed the winning bid in August when the privilege to set off the explosives was auctioned off as an alumni association fundraiser.

Read the full story here or watch the video below:

Lack of cash will result in demolition of world’s oldest surviving clipper-class ship.

Tenders are being invited to demolish the world’s oldest surviving clipper ship which is scheduled for destruction at the Scottish Maritime Museum.

The City of Adelaide has been rotting away on the quayside at Irvine in Ayrshire since 1992.

Permission was given to demolish it after the maritime museum said it could not afford to pay for restoration work.

Read the full story here.

Just when you thought you’d overcome your addiction to Demolition City…

I try not to think about the amount of time I have lost in recent month, imploding simple 2D buildings to earn imaginary dollars in the infuriatingly addictive Demolition City game. But at least I was safe when I left the office, when I could temporarily remove this electronic monkey from my back.

Until now.

Word reaches us that a new game in a similar vain called Implode is heading for the iPhone in the next month or so, which means that (for me at least) there will be no hiding place.

So if Demolition News suddenly begins to gather dust and cobwebs and you don’t see posts from one week to the next, you’ll know that I have fallen into the gaming abyss.