Message from US contractor highlights the issues facing an industry in turmoil.

What you are about to read is a message from a US-based contractor who has broken ranks to talk about the current plight of the US demolition industry. He has chosen to remain anonymous but, in our opinion, that does not undermine the force of his feelings:

“…Given your recent articles concerning the inimitable bid results in the United States, I thought I would share with you the following results faxed to our office this morning. What I see reflected in those numbers is an economy that exists in the hallo of a coma; vital signs are apparent, cerebral comprehension, departed.

I see little in the market which would suggest that this will end anytime soon. Local municipalities have caught on and see blood in the water; public bidding has warranted great financial gain/savings for towns/cities – nearly every paper across the US cites a public official being “very pleased” that the bid(s) came in under estimated cost. ..”

So will the demolition of Illinois’ AT&T building attract more low bids…?

Danville city officials will open bids today for the long-awaited demolition of the vacant and deteriorating AT&T building, as well as bids for the possible demolition of the upper deck of the two-story Walnut Street parking garage.

Doug Ahrens, public works director, said about eight to 10 companies attended the pre-bid meeting for the projects. He expects to take winning bids to the city council for approval next month. He also expects demolition to begin this winter and to be completed by the end of the year or January, weather permitting. Crews started last week on asbestos abatement, a contract that was bid separately from the demolition.

If it’s within the city’s budget for both the parking garage and AT&T demolitions, Ahrens said, the parking garage deck will also be demolished.

“But we may not do it at all. It depends on the bids,” Ahrens said.

So, based on all that has gone on in the US recently, hands up anyone who believes the winning bid won’t come in WAY under city expectations….

Read the full story here.

Presence of bats hamper work to demolish homes in monkey-hanging capital.

Housing Hartlepool has altered plans to demolish 72 homes in Easington Road to protect a roost of bats found in 12 of the properties.

Demolition of most of the properties will go-ahead as planned and is set to see workers from Sirius Remediation on site this week. But the clearance of 12 properties will be postponed until early May next year after pre-work inspections discovered the pipistrelle bats, which are a protected species.

This marks an incredible U-turn in the wildlife conservation fortunes of a town that once famously hanged a monkey as a French spy.

Read the full (bat) story here

Louisiana bridge to be blown next Wednesday.

A bridge that connects Livingston and East Baton Rouge parishes in Louisiana is scheduled for demolition after over 80 years of existence.

Once the center span collapses into the Amite River, inspectors will check out the remaining bridge and the new one to make sure there are no issues.

Read the full details here.

Throwing a spotlight on European manufacturer’s inaction in the face of recession.

Later today, some of the leading names in the US construction equipment industry will gather at Soldier Fields in Chicago for the latest rally in support of the Start Us Up USA campaign that calls on the federal government to swiftly reauthorize federal road, bridge, transit and rail programs to spur a jobs recovery now.

This follows the campaign’s first high-profile rally in Las Vegas at the end of September.

But what of their European counterparts?

In our latest Demolition Digest blog post for constructionequipment.com, we look at precisely this point and question whether European Union members states can continue to use language and geographic barriers as an excuse for inaction.

Click here to read the full story.

Covert demolition makes hospital buildings disappear before tender process concludes.

Even as tenders for the demolition of nine blocks of the Communicable Diseases Hospital (CDH), Tondiarpet, were to be finalised on Friday, the buildings had ‘disappeared’.

Evidently, some contractors with high connections had demolished the buildings. And nobody knows where huge quantities of teak wood and metal girders, which were part of the debris, have disappeared.

Only about 50 iron cots from CDH have reached the corporation workshop on Anna Pillai Street in Elephant Gate. When the matter was brought to his notice, Corporation commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni said he would order the vigilance department to inquire into the incident.

No registered contractor expressed knowledge about the persons who carried out the demolition or what happened to the materials that were part of the 50-year-old building. People in the know of things told TOI that the buildings had about 25 tonnes of teak and hundreds of tonnes of iron and steel girders. Most of the existing buildings have been demolished, save a small portion of a kitchen and a laboratory.

Further details here.

Huge bid spread marks Huey Elementary School contract.

It’s less than 24 hours since we highlighted concerns that continued low bidding could undermine a US economic recovery and have a negative impact on jobs. But according to a Wichita Falls newspaper, that concern had clearly not filtered down to Total Demolition and moany of the other bidders in the frame to demolish the former Huey Elementary School.

The demolition job that was budgeted for $140,000 will actually cost $84,000 — the best price out of 12 bids offered on the job. Because the price came in under $100,000, WFISD board members didn’t need to approve it, but were simply made aware in Monday’s regularly scheduled board meeting that the job was going to a De Valla, Texas, company called Total Demolition, Inc.

Bids offered by other companies from Wichita Falls to Houston ranged from $87,425 to $284,000 — a large spread that showed some companies were definitely more interested in the job than others, according to Richard Ward, bond projects coordinator.

Three bids came in under $100,000 and three bids ran over $200,000, with all the rest falling somewhere in between.

Read the full story here.

Wisonsin to outlaw waste arising from state projects over $5 million.

Beginning January 1, 2010, any state building construction or demolition project with a cost of at least $5 million must recycle any debris that’s generated.

The Department of Natural resources made the announcement after a trial period earlier this year where a number of state buildings were constructed with a recycling rate near 90-percent of better.

Read the full story here.

Condominium hit with excessive implosion insurance set to be dismantled instead.

After all the money spent on asbestos tests to ensure that 1515 in West Palm Beach could be safely imploded, it doesn’t look like there will be an implosion after all.

Last week, Trinity Development said that the city’s request for $50 million of insurance coverage to implode the 30-story eyesore was excessive.

Now, it looks like Trinity won’t give in. Officials from Trinity called the city today, asking what it would take to demolish the building with a conventional wrecking ball. Doug Wise of the city’s constructions service department said Trinity only needs to put the request in writing, which it could do tomorrow. A permit could then be issued in 48 hours.

Taking the hurricane-ravished building down by wrecking ball could take a month, instead of the two seconds it takes to implode.

Further details here.

Advanced Explosive Demolition in negotiation to implode Kentucky’s Executive Inn.

Demolition News understands that negotiations are continuing between explosive demolition specialist Advanced Explosive Demolition and Denney Excavating, the company charged with demolishing the Executive Inn in Owensboro.

Although details remain sketchy, we understand that Denney has given AED till tomorrow to decide which method to use. Apparently, AED is currently deciding between a straight implosion or “tripping“, a method the company has used with varying degrees of success in the past.

The news comes hot on the heels of concerns expressed over the level of debris that the contract will create, and its impact upon local landfill facilities.

Further news can be found here.