US’ National Demolition Association announces 2010 Convention programme.

A career military officer, Christman currently represents the U.S. Chamber of Commerce before foreign business leaders and government officials and provides strategic leadership on international issues affecting the business community. His curriculum vitae includes a five-year appointment as superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point and two years as assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during which he advised Secretary of State Warren Christopher. He is a frequent contributor to CNN and appears on ABC, FOX, MSNBC, CNBC and C-SPAN.

The NDA Convention begins on Saturday March 20 with the Annual Golf Tournament at Silverstone Golf Club. On Sunday, registration of delegates begins, followed by the grand opening of the exhibit hall at the Mirage Event Center. The evening ends with the Opening Night Cocktail Reception in the Grand Ballroom.

Following Gen. Christman’s presentation on March 22, the first speaker of the convention, Bob Mellinger of Attanium Corp., will give valuable advice on improving crisis communications and decision-making skills in his talk “The Disaster Experience: QuickFire.” That evening, all delegates are invited to the ’60s-style Beatles “Love” Extravaganza theme party in the Grand Ballroom.

On Tuesday, educational breakout sessions begin with “Survive to Thrive: Making the Transition: Coping with the Downturn and Planning for Recovery,” presented by Greg Hoyle of Hoyle & Associates. Hoyle will provide tips on topics like managing cash flow and marketing. Mike Casbon with EMR Inc. will speak on “Safety and Your Bottom Line,” addressing the subject of how well-planned and executed safety programs can become profit centers. The third session is entitled “Green Marketing and LEED: Is There Money in it for You?” presented by John Lloyd of Lloyd’s Construction Services and Jason Haus of Dem-Con Companies. The program will explain the benefits and pitfalls of establishing a capital-intensive recycling program and developing a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)-based marketing plan that really works.

Tuesday evening ends with the Annual Banquet of the National Demolition Association in the Grand Ballroom.

Delegate and exhibitor registration can take place online at www.demolitionassociation.com. Additional information can also be obtained by calling 800-541-2412. The deadline for pre-registration is March 4.

The use of an out-of-state contractor to blow the Crown Point bridge leads to complaints.

The dust has barely settled and hundreds of tonnes of debris still remain in the icy depths of Lake Champlain following the recent implosion of the Crown Point bridge, but already the repercussions have begun.

Edward Malloy, president of the New York State Building & Construction Trades Council, blasted the Paterson administration for hiring an out-of-state demolition company to blow up the Crown Point Bridge.

“Perhaps your commissioner is unaware that there are capable men and women who live and pay taxes right here in New York state who want and need to work on this project,” Malloy wrote in his Dec. 21 letter to Gov. David Paterson and copied to Acting Transportation Commissioner Stanley Gee.

Malloy called the awarding of the blasting work to an Idaho company “unconscionable” considering the high unemployment rate upstate for union laborers.

Read more here.

But the post-blowdown repercussions don’t end there.

Lisa Kelly and her husband, Eric, – the two-person team behind the blowdown – had nothing but kind words for the Vermont officials she dealt with during their Christmas-season bridge job. But the Kellys are scratching their heads about the Empire State’s representatives.

As Kelly tells it, AED had begun laying dynamite when she got a Christmas call saying she needed to immediately come up with a certified check for $13,028 to pay for workers’ compensation insurance.

She said her firm, which has little overhead, doesn’t need the coverage since it’s a husband-and-wife operation. But in New York, Kelly was told, she needed it. “I said I did not have the funds,” she said. As the state pressed, the general contractor that hired AED picked up the cost. A policy was quickly put together by the New York State Insurance Fund with an effective date of Dec. 28, the day AED blew up the bridge.

More here.

18 high rise buildings in Lahore have been earmarked for demolition.

The Pakistan Observer is reporting that Lahore city officials have voted to completely or partially demolish some 18 “illegal” high rise structures in the country’s capital. The newspaper reports that many of these structures were built without planning permission or in a haphazard fashion with little or no consideration for the environment, local community or even parking facilities.

Read the full story here.

Jail demolition bid comes in a third more than expected.

During 2009, we wrote about low bids so often that my computer keyboard now automatically fills in the bid every time I type the word low. But with the dawning of a New Year comes a story that will warm the hearts of industry watchers across the US and beyond.

The low bid to demolish the old jail in the St. Charles Parish Courthouse in Hahnville is about a third more than parish officials expected, but they aren’t ruling out paying more.

Zimmer-Eschette Service II of Metairie submitted the low bid of $311,786 this month to tear out the old cellblocks to make way for new parish office space on the third floor of the courthouse.

“We had gotten a rough estimate of $200,000, but that’s all it was,” parish purchasing director Bobby Donaldson said.

Read more here.

Dublin landmark earmarked for demolition.

Liberty Hall, by the river Liffey, was once the tallest building in Ireland. But the BBC is reporting that its owners, the trade union SIPTU, want to knock it down and replace it with an even taller building.

It may not be as pretty, or have as much character, as the Ha’penny Bridge, but Liberty Hall is one of Dublin’s landmarks.

It may also no longer be the tallest building in the city, never mind Ireland – that honour belongs to the County Hall outside Cork city, but it still offers fantastic views.

Nearly 60 metres (200 feet) and 17 storeys tall it is linked in the popular imagination with both trade unionism and James Connolly, one of the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising.

Read more here.

Video shows failed implosion that leaves one tower standing.

A video has emerged that purports to show a failed implosion in China that apparently took place yesterday. However, aside from the video itself, we have so far been unable to find any more information on this latest stand-up. The resulting failure has been dubbed the “Leaning Tower of Liuzhou”

Former Collins & Aikman plant demolition underway in New Hampshire

Demolition crews from Danley Demolition of Fremont have started taking down the 240,000-square-foot facility. They will be active through the winter taking the facility apart in sections. According to Ed Moran, the trustee of the N.H. Custodial Trust that manages the property, after a year of marketing the plant and finding one or two potential tenants who eventually decided against moving into the facility because of the economy, the state is washing its hands of the structure.

It was too costly to keep the facility intact, Moran said. The building not only had to be secured, but also was kept heated because of an extensive sprinkler system inside, he said. The roof, which was “never in good shape,” has also gotten worse and would cost more than $1 million to repair, Moran said.

Read more here.

Cold weather and ice hampers Champlain Bridge clean-up operation.

Crews started pulling chunks of the Champlain Bridge out of Lake Champlain Tuesday. It’s a process that will take months and spectators are lining up to see the cleanup.

Crews have begun the long and tedious process of removing all the debris from the lake, a process that’s expected to take at least four months.

“It’s definitely a big challenge with the ice and the weather,” said Greg Ball, of Harrison & Burrowes Construction. “Obviously today the wind is blowing 30 to 40 miles an hour and gusts of snow.”

Six barges, 45 people, and about 30 pieces of machinery will be used to complete the work. Most all of the pieces will have to be cut up before they’re removed, including the debris underwater.

Read more here.

Illinois city to conduct comprehensive review following bidding irregularities.

Mayor Sal Garza said he plans to conduct a “comprehensive review” of the city’s neighborhood improvement office after residents and contractors complained to City Council members about the bidding process for projects to demolish properties, with allegations that some contractors may have gained an unfair advantage by failing to follow state statutes.

The city’s neighborhood improvement supervisor, Dedra Mannon, who was in charge of inspecting properties that may have code violations, has moved to become the city’s human services coordinator.

Garza would not confirm nor deny if Mannon was going to switch jobs, saying he was not authorized to speak about personnel matters, but City Manager Dane Bragg confirmed she had switched positions, although a formal announcement has yet to be made.

Read the full story here.

High reach excavator will down Executive Inn south tower.

The changing skyline of Evansville continues today when another section of the old Executive Inn comes crashing down.

Demolition crews with the Klenck Company in Evansville spent Tuesday going back over the site to make sure it’s safe for demolition.

They have also set up a 35 metre perimeter safety zone around the site protect drivers during the demolition. Instead of demolishing the whole tower at once, crews will use an ultra high demolition excavator to carefully remove the upper stories first.

Read more here.