Four unique finials on Bellaire Bridge could add $320,000 to salvage profits.

Until now, the battle between Lee Chaklos of Delta Demolition and Eric Kelly of Advanced Explosive Demolition has been a public spat over who owns the Bellaire Bridge and, therefore, who gets to press the button to fell the structure when the US Coast Guard gives the green light.

But a new discovery is set to make the fight now taking place in a US court even more bitter. On the top of the bridge are four finials that are unique to this bridge. Some say there are no others like them in the world. And they are the hottest commodities in this project.

“I’ve had over 30 inquiries about it,” Chaklos said. “Anywhere from ‘Can we get them donated to us?’ to ‘We’ll pay you thousands of dollars for them.'”

From the ground, the finials don’t look that big. But Lee Chaklos, of Delta Demolition, said each one probably weighs a ton. And there’s no one left who knows about them.

“No one’s touched them since 1924, or probably 1926 when they were put on top of the bridge,” he said. “They’re located about 103 feet above the surface of the bridge. We believe they’re about 7 feet high and about six and a half feet around.”

If they’re metal, Lee Chaklos said they’re valuable as antique ornamental pieces, but if they’re copper, they’re off the charts. “If they’re solid copper, which we think they are, they’re probably worth about $80,000 apiece,” he said.

Read more here or view the video below:

New video game turns demolition into carnage.

In the past, we have reported on a number of highly addictive demolition-related video games. In fact, Demolition Master for the iPad continues to make train journeys bearable while the Demolition Company simulator is for sale in our demolition-specific online store.

But we won’t be playing Collapse It, a new online video game. Unlike the games mentioned above which aim for a degree of realism (with varying degrees of success), the object of Collapse It is to fell buildings onto pedestrians.

According to the advertising blurb: “What could possibly go wrong while standing around unstable buildings during a live demolition? Lots of death, that’s what. Carefully demolish each building to ensure maximum carnage of hapless bystanders…”

For those of a murderous disposition, you can check out the game here.

Pair of silos set to fall next Saturday.

The redevelopment of the Block 46 area in North Wilkesboro will kick off with a bang Saturday 12 February with the implosion of two silos that stand side-by-side on the former American Drew property.

The “Ground Shaking Ceremony” is scheduled for 2 p.m. The public is invited to the implosion. There will be viewing areas in the parking areas behind the Wilkes County Public Library. The implosion will be a tactical demonstration by the bomb squad of the Wilkes County Sheriff’s Department.

“Block 46” is the former American-Drew Furniture Company property in downtown North Wilkesboro, adjacent to the CBD Loop. The 29.33-acre tract was purchased by Block 46 Development LLC, a partnership formed by Shepherd Real Estate LLC of North Wilkesboro and The Crown Companies LLC of Dobson, from La-Z-Boy. The Block 46 partners plan to develop the property with a variety of structures for businesses and, perhaps, residences.

The Town of North Wilkesboro has agreed to clear the property and remove all structures, except the former American Drew office building at the corner of D Street and the CBD Loop. Town officials have awarded a $298,000 contract to Nelco Recycling and Aggregate Company for demolition, salvaging and recycling services on the Block 46 redevelopment project.

Read more here.

Efforts to scrap floating barge lead to sinking and environmental concerns.

The ugly demise of the beached and broken Davy Crockett, now the subject of a multimillion-dollar federal recovery effort, unfolded only after years of neglect.

The former Liberty ship has languished for almost two decades along the north bank of the Columbia River between Vancouver and Camas. At one point, a former owner warned the U.S. Coast Guard that the 431-foot vessel appeared to be at risk of coming loose from its mooring and careening into the nearby shipping channel.

However, little changed except the vessel’s ownership. And, By the end of last year, benign neglect evolved to active dismantling.

Now, dozens of Coast Guardsmen and cleanup contractors are swarming the converted barge. State authorities have attributed the sad state of the Davy Crockett — beached, broken and leaching PCB-tainted oil into the river — to owner Brett Simpson of Ellensburg. They said an apparent effort to scrap the vessel while it was afloat weakened the Crockett to the point that its midsection buckled and sank.

There is nothing inherently illegal about scrapping an old ship, according to Kim Schmanke, a spokeswoman for the Washington Department of Ecology. However, it is illegal to do so without a permit or in a way that pollutes a river or waterway. Simpson had no permit, she said.

“From our perspective, it’s doubtful ship demolition could be done in water or along a shoreline without some kind of solid or liquid waste material getting into the waters of the state,” Schmanke said in an e-mail.

Read the full story here.

Work stalled until US Coast Guard gives green light.

It is a story that is threatening to run as long as the bridge it features has stood. But the ongoing battle to demolish the Bellaire Bridge has hit another stumbling block: The general contractor on the demolition job said the U.S. Coast Guard will not issue a notice to proceed at the current time.

KDC Investments recently won a battle in court, after a judge sided with the company confirming KDC had the title to the bridge. The company that contested that ownership, Advanced Explosives Demolition has filed an appeal which ties up the case in court again. Because of that, a Coast Guard representative says they will wait until the court case is resolved before issuing the notice to proceed.

Lee Chaklos of Delta Demolition said the Coast Guard’s decision doesn’t bring the project to a standstill. Chaklos said he has a subcontractor from Shadyside — R & D Concrete — taking core samples of concrete and steel. He said those samples will help determine if the bridge is structurally sound enough to hold the equipment needed for demolition.

Chaklos said he found out around 9 a.m about the Coast Guard holding the notice to proceed. However, he said it won’t stop him from applying for a permit from the city of Benwood and there are several tasks the company can handle in the near future.

“To the best of our knowledge, we don’t need a permit to work on the bridge over the water. As long as we take out the approach ramp, as long as we excavate the concrete and not do any structural damage to where the bridge would fall in the water, I don’t believe we would need a Coast Guard notice to proceed,” Chaklos said.

Read more here or view the news video below.

Collective stupidity causes chimney demolition fail.

As regular readers of DemolitionNews will testify, demolishing chimneys using mechanical and explosive techniques can be problematic. But it appears that the challenges extend even to manual demolition means, as this video from an unnamed location (presumably in Eastern Europe) illustrates beautifully:

Union workers want unpaid benefits from New York demolition firm

A local union group has filed an involuntary bankruptcy petition against a Syracuse company, alleging the firm failed to pay fringe benefits to employees who completed demolition work at the BayerCrop Science plant in Institute. Federal Magistrate Mary E. Stanley signed off on a judgment order in August that requires Bianchi to pay $205,000 to the West Virginia Laborers’ District Council and its affiliates. The union says it hasn’t been paid.

“We’re in the process of trying to pursue this money from a New York corporation,” said Steven Smith, administrative manager for the West Virginia Laborers’ Pension Trust Fund. “They’ve forgotten to pay their bills. I can’t say anything beyond that because we’re in litigation.”

The union alleged that Bianchi breached its collective-bargaining agreement because the company didn’t pay health and pension benefits to about 40 employees who worked on a 2008-09 demolition project at the Bayer CropScience plant.

Read more here.

Council moves demolition deadline amidst delays.

The long-awaited demolition of the notorious Royal Court tower blocks has been delayed until September.

Work was due to begin last November and completed by this summer, but the latest setback to the project was caused by lengthy negotiations over a shopkeeper’s move and delays to the completion of the first phase of the project.

The demolition of the two empty towers in Laindon is part of a £13 million project under which 129 homes, a community centre and a shop will be built on the site, which has a history of antisocial behaviour. Some of the housing has already been constructed, but this took longer than expected.

Basildon Council leader Tony Ball said: “I hope this gives people the confidence it definitely will happen and I’ve been reassured it will be done by September. “The fact they have started stripping out asbestos gives us confidence.”

The regeneration project has suffered several setbacks. Plans were approved by Basildon Council in December 2007 and work was expected to begin in early 2008, before funding problems hit. The project suffered a further setback last year because a number of Royal Court residents could not move into the new £17 million development next door, due to problems with the electricity supply.

Read more here.

AED seeks decision reversal following bridge ownership court findings.

Newspapers based close to the disputed Bellaire Bridge are reporting that District Judge John T. Mitchell of Kootenai County, Idaho, issued a memorandum Monday stating a demolition agreement between Advanced Explosives Demolition and KDC Investments was an “illegal contract from AED’s standpoint.” The agreement was not valid since AED failed “to obtain a valid contractor’s license and procure the necessary permits before entering into the demolition agreement with KDC,” the memorandum continues.

But DemolitionNews can exclusively reveal that AED owner Eric Kelly is not taking this decision lying down and has appointed legal counsel to have the court’s decision overturned and, ultimately, to pursue an appeal.

We have been given access to a letter drawn up by AED’s legal counsel – Art Bistline – and it is reproduced verbatim below:

To Whom It May Concern:

Arthur M. Bistline
1423 N. Government Way
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 83814

Chinese man sentenced to death in enforced demolition case

A man in north China’s Shanxi province has been sentenced to death after he killed one man and injured another during an illegal demolition last year.Gao Haidong was given the death penalty after being convicted of intentional injury and property damage, Xinhua reported citing the verdict by a court in Taiyuan city.

Two other accused – Wu Ruijun and Li Yanzhong – were given death sentences with a two-year reprieve and life imprisonment respectively.

Wu and Li plotted the forced demolition of two houses owned by Wu Wenyuan and Meng Fugui in Guzhai village in Taiyuan, capital of Shanxi, in October, the court found.

Read the full story here.