Demolition

Riviera hotel casino tower comes down in true Vegas fashion

The Riviera hotel casino’s Monaco Tower on the Las Vegas Strip was imploded in the early morning hours of June 14, 2016, in dramatic fashion, including fireworks.

Nearby high rises, a VIP viewing party and people on the street all celebrated as the 29-year-old portion of the hotel came down at approximately 2:35 a.m.

The 24-story tower was an addition to the property added in 1987.

Local television station KTNV notes it was the ninth property to open on the Las Vegas Strip, opening in 1955. The hotel closed in May 2015. It included 2,100 rooms and 110,000 square feet of gaming space.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority bought the property for $190 million in February 2015 and plan to expand its convention facilities on the site, which totals about 26 acres.

The second shorter tower is scheduled to be imploded in August after asbestos is removed from the building.

The implosion contract with the Las Vegas-based construction firm, WA Richardson Builders LLC, is worth an estimated $40 million and was approved by the authority in April.

The contract will also fund the building of an outdoor exhibit space on the property for ConExpo-ConnAgg, March 7-11, 2017. The exhibition, held every three years at the Las Vegas Convention Center, is one of the largest trade shows for the international construction industry.

A video of the implosion is available at www.CDRecycler.com/article/riviera-hotel-casino-tower-implosion.

New York Attorney General files suit against demolition

New York State’s Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has filed suit against Peter J. Battaglia Jr., owner and operator of Battaglia Demolition Inc. and related companies, to force the South Buffalo, New York, demolition debris facility to end noxious conditions that have plagued the surrounding community.

According to the AG’s office, the suit charges that Battaglia’s dust, noise, odors, vermin, truck traffic and other harmful impacts have created a public nuisance under New York State law, and that the facility is illegally operating without required state environmental permits.

The Attorney General’s suit, which was filed in the Erie County Supreme Court, seeks a court order halting operation at the facility until all public nuisances are abated, all state permits necessary for the operations conducted at the facility are obtained, and the facility is brought into full compliance with the law. In addition, the state asks to the court to assess financial penalties for Battaglia’s violation of multiple state environmental laws.

The Attorney General’s lawsuit charges that the Battaglia facility has created a public nuisance under state law by creating ongoing dust, noise, vibrations, odors, vermin infestation and excessive truck traffic that harm the property, safety and comfort of the neighborhood residents, as well as disrupting their daily activities. The lawsuit also charges that the facility is operating without required approvals by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC)—including a permit for controlling air pollution from the concrete crusher—that protect the environment and health of the surrounding community.

Northwest Demolition and Dismantling names new management team

Northwest Demolition and Dismantling (NW Demolition), Portland, Oregon, says it is ushering in a new era with the naming of its new executive management team.

The company has appointed Richard Wayper as its new president effective in June. Dave Williams has been named vice president operations and Chad Hoffart has been named vice president of administration.

Wayper is an 18-year veteran with the company. Prior to being named president, he served as vice president of business development. Outgoing President Brian Smith is retiring after 45 years in the industry.

He will remain a board member of the copmany.

Dave Williams, a 17-year veteran of NW Demolition, has been appointed vice president of operations. Prior to being named to this position, Williams was a senior project manager at the company.

Chad Hoffart, a 15-year veteran of the company has been assigned the role of vice president of administration. He was formerly the contracts manager.

“62 years ago we started as a regional company serving the I-5 Corridor,” says Wayper. “Now we operate throughout the United States and Canada and are actively investigating suitable international opportunities. There is virtually no place we will not go for clients who value safety and quality work.”

Brownfields funding could spur demolition

United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy has announced the awarding of 218 new brownfield site cleanup grants totaling $55.2 million to 131 communities throughout the U.S.

Recipients will receive $200,000 to $820,000 in funding toward what the EPA calls cooperative agreements.

The Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund and Cleanup (ARC) grants go to communities the EPA describes as “underserved and economically disadvantaged, including neighborhoods where environmental cleanup and new jobs are most needed.”

A former Uniroyal Tire complex in Chicopee, Massachusetts; the south lot of the former Racine Steel Castings plant in Racine, Wisconsin; and property that formerly housed Coastal Metals in Merrimac, Massachusetts, are among industrial sites targeted by the grants.

The state of Maine received 20 ARC grants, more than any other state, according to the list released by the EPA. Close behind was Massachusetts with 18 grants followed by Ohio with nine.

“These grants will empower communities to transform idle, languishing lands into vibrant hubs for business, jobs and recreation,” says McCarthy.

“It’s all about providing that initial funding, and sparking that first conversation to set stalled sites on a path toward smart, safe redevelopment that directly benefits communities,” McCarthy adds.

EPA’s Brownfields Program was developed to expand the ability of communities to recycle vacant and abandoned properties for new, productive reuses, says the agency.

It cites as one of its examples, Dubuque, Iowa’s new $200,000 cleanup grant that “will address contamination at the Blum property, a former scrap yard and recycling facility, and will lead to the development of a pocket park for residents of the distressed Washington Neighborhood within Dubuque.”

Across the United States an estimated 450,000 abandoned and contaminated sites are in existence, says the agency.