The Boston home where late mobster James Whitey Bulger and his gang buried three of their victims may be torn down to make way for a new residential development.

The Boston Globe reported Tuesday that the Boston Landmarks Commission recently received an application to demolish the 1,975-square-foot (180-square-meter) two-story South Boston home to make way for a new four-unit townhouse style development with eight garaged parking spots.

The previous asking price of $3.5 million was lowered to $3,395,000, and the property is currently under agreement, according to Redfin.com.

The home, which Bulger called "The Haunty, was once owned by the brother of a Bulger associate.

During Bulger's racketeering trial, a witness said he saw Bulger kill three people in the house. Their bodies were buried in the basement, which had a dirt floor at the time. In 1985, when the house was about to be sold, the bodies were exhumed and reburied elsewhere.

Bulger was convicted in 2013 for his role in the deaths of 11 people, including the three buried in the house. He was killed in a federal prison last October at age 89.

The Boston Landmarks Commission has 10 calendar days to review applications to demolish properties to determine whether they have historic significance."

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South Boston house where Whitey Bulger buried 3 victims faces demolition, 4-unit townhouse going up in its pl - MassLive.com

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (WXYZ) The former home of the Detroit Pistons is in the process of being torn down.

The Palace of Auburn Hills will be torn down to make way for corporate redevelopment.

Residents say it's bittersweet. The palace held a special place in the hearts of people who watched the Pistons play there, along with other special events.

"It is sad," said Dennis Haines from Shelby Township. "I took my son there to see the Globe Trotters once. A lot of memories of firsts for him. It is sad."

The city manager of Auburn Hills says taking down the lettering on the outside of the building is the start of a six-month demolition process.

The first phase, which is already underway, also includes removing items inside of the building, like sets.

In January, the building itself is expected to come down, although developers have not yet applied for a demolition permit.

March is expected to mark phase three, which includes taking down steel framing and concert walls. Once that is completed, phase four, which will occur sometimes in spring 2020, will fill in the excavated hole.

There are plans to turn the space into offices for research and technology. However, there is no timeline yet on when the rebuild will be happening.

Originally posted here:
News The Palace of Auburn Hills: What to know about demolition plans 11:11 AM, Dec - WXYZ

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (localmemphis.com) Local 24 News political analyst and commentator Otis Sanfordshares his point of view on the Union Row development.

If youre driving along Union Avenue these days, allthat noise youre hearing is the sound of progress. Demolition equipment isbusy bringing down one vacant structure after another from Fourth Street toDanny Thomas Boulevard and possibly beyond.

The coming attraction to replace all that blight isUnion Row a $1.1 billion development consisting of plenty of retail andoffice space, hundreds of hotel rooms, and at least one and possibly twogrocery stores.

Public incentives to the tune of some $185 million havebeen approved to make the Union Row development a reality. And it appears to befull speed ahead for all of the government entities to sign off on the project.

Weve been talking about this development for severalmonths, and the key movers and shakers behind the project have been thoroughlyvetted by the Institute for Public Service Reporting at the University ofMemphis. While some of them have been involved in numerous legal disputes,nothing has been uncovered so far that says Union Row is pie in the sky.

It is instead potentially a game changer for economicdevelopment not just downtown, but across Memphis. So is the other massive development plannedfor the Pinch District.

Obviously, none it of means a cure for poverty orother ills plaguing the city. But that sound of demolition on Union is a sweetsound indeed. And thats my point of view.

Continue reading here:
The sound of demolition on Union is a sweet sound, says Otis Sanford - WATN - Local 24

MONETT, Mo. Founded in 1887 the town of Monett, like many communities, was built along the railroad tracks.

But right next to those tracks just happens to be Kelly Creek, a waterway that's played just as big a part in the town's history as the railroad industry.

The Kelly Creek channel runs parallel to downtown's main street, Broadway, and is a block to the south of the business district between the stores and the railroad tracks.

The creek is surrounded by masonry walls but during heavy rains it overflows its banks and over the years has made its way into those businesses, mainly between Third and Sixth streets, causing millions of dollars in damage.

In 2016 for instance the creek rose three feet in just 45 minutes, leaving six feet of water along Broadway.

It's been a problem for as long as folks here can remember.

"When we do have a flood it's a typical flash flood," explained Monett city administrator Dennis Pyle. "It comes very quickly and recedes very quickly."

"It's not a very pleasant experience," adds Bernice Morris, the owner of Fashion Crossroads in downtown Monett for 50 years. For half a century she's seen a lot of floods come and go and get as high as eight inches along her walls.

She wouldn't mind seeing something done about it.

"If you didn't have to worry about sandbagging or receiving a call at night that the water's rising that would be a wonderful thing," she said.

Well now there's hope for at least a partial solution.

After 10 years and four attempts at getting federal funds, Monett will start taking bids on December 17th to demolish four structures in the flood-plain area and turn it into green space. The areas include the city's own public works building, an old VFW and hotel building, an agri-center, and perhaps most importantly, a trailer park.

"What we look at first is trying to save people's lives," said Bonnie Witt-Schulte, the director of the Monett-Lawrence County Emergency Management Office. "Those trailers will no longer be there and we won't have that risk."

There have been fatalities over the years, and while the half-million dollar green space, located next to an already existing pavilion and park, won't solve all the flooding problems there is a consensus that it will help.

"We're still going to see that flooding but we'll see less of an impact to people's lives and property," Witt-Schulte said.

"Without those buildings being there we believe the flooding will not be as severe as it has been in the past," Pyle added.

The city did consider other options such as re-routing Kelly Creek.

"That was very expensive. Well over six million dollars," Pyle said.

Mother nature has already started part of the demolition work as the old Frisco hotel and VFW building has been falling apart due to storm damage. The latest collapse came last week and fencing has been put up around the structure to keep people and cars out of danger.

Monett is known as a resilient town as residents here have endured tornadoes and floods in the past only to rebuild and press on.

But when asked what natural disaster tends to have the biggest emotional toll on the town Witt-Schulte didn't hesitate with her answer.

"Floods tend to have more of a negative effect on people especially when it's repetitive in nature," she said. "And that's what it is for us."

The project is 75 percent funded by FEMA with the city responsible for raising the other 25 percent.

Officials say they hope to have the green space completed by August 2020.

View post:
Monett, Mo. soon will start flood-plain demolition of downtown buildings - KY3

Bob Ball, who runs H&R Salvage of Mitchell, is in the business of destroying blades, something he says hes already doing with success in Iowa, where the issue has become a hot topic with increasingly aging blades.

Ball is already leading the demolition and burying of turbine blades in Lake Mills, Iowa, working out agreements to cut up old General Electric turbine blades and putting them into a Waste Management landfill.

They dont let just any hillbilly get their blades and cut them up, he told the Davison County Planning Commission. Im the most successful of anyone they know for chopping them up.

On Tuesday, the Davison County Planning Commission approved H&R Salvage to expand its existing operation to dismantle wind turbine blades. Final approval will be considered by the Davison County Commissioners on Dec. 10. The county does not have to rule on the landfill decisions.

Meeting with the Davison County Commission earlier on Tuesday, Mitchell Public Works Director Kyle Croce and Street and Sanitation Superintendent Kevin Roth said theyve been approached by H&R Salvage to put up to 700 tons of old wind turbine blades from Wessington Springs into its landfill.

Those blades would be cut down to 50-foot pieces and eventually down to 3-by-7-foot sections and would be placed in a ravine at Mitchells Old Landfill, which is located at 2801 E. Havens St. (Mitchells current 160-acre landfill, located southeast of the city on 257th Street, would not be taking wind turbine pieces, the city officials said.)

Those turbine pieces are made of non-toxic fiberglass and essentially dont decay or disintegrate over time. Its that potential white elephant factor that makes them a burden when theyre no longer usable for wind turbines, drawing the concern of Davison County Commission Chairwoman Brenda Bode.

Youre burying something that will never go away, Bode said. This is taking up land, making a footprint that is never going to be used. We need to do some due diligence.

Currently, Mitchell takes commercial trash and garbage, rubble and building debris for $36 per ton. Croce and Roth said they would consider a fee of $65 per ton for commercial waste outside of the landfills general five-county service area.

NextEra Energy owns the Wessington Springs Wind Energy Center, which has 34 turbines and has been in commercial operation since 2009. Earlier this year, NextEra began work to replace the previous 77-meter blades with longer, 91-meter blades, which can capture more wind energy and convert it to electricity with more efficiency. Blades usually weigh between 14 and 19 tons.

Croce said the city has not yet made any commitments to take the blade pieces, and said they want to have the plans approved by Davison County. Roth also said the city is changing the permitting on its old landfill to allow for up to 5,000 tons of garbage in a year, starting on Jan. 1. Currently, the landfill is permitted for 500 tons.

Thats why were considering the higher fee, Croce said. We want to deter haulers from coming in and using our landfill. We want them to be using the landfills in their contracted area.

Bode said that neither the city nor the county has the money for another landfill, so the decisions on how much material Mitchell is willing to take needs to be weighed carefully.

Is it worth filling it up with wind turbines? Everyone wants someone else to take their garbage, she said.

Commissioner John Claggett alluded that wind energy companies have been shopping around to various municipalities and counties to find places to take their old blades. Sioux Falls, for example, stopped allowing turbines to be dumped at the citys landfill, but only after two Iowa wind farms dumped more than 100 turbine blades, each measuring more than 120 feet long, the Argus Leader reported.

Ball said the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources generally wont let landfills take out-of-state turbines. He said he will only take 12 blades per day at its salvage location just west of Mitchell, because thats as much as his employees can get through in a days work. In Iowa, they are buried in a large pit, Ball said, and thousands of blades have been broken down to the point past recognition.

Its a lengthy process but once its done, its done, said Ball. These blades are going to have to go somewhere for a long time.

Read the original:
City, county prepare to allow wind turbine demolition business - The Daily Republic

Detroit Starting Friday, Interstate 75 will temporarily closein both directions for a weekend demolition of three road bridges, officials said.

The Bridging North America projectwill close I-75 from Springwells to Clark streets while crews begin work on the Michigan interchange for the Gordie Howe International Bridge Project. The project will require demolition on bridges at Springwells, Livernois and Clark.

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Work will start at 11 p.m. Friday;lanes will re-open by 5 a.m. on Monday, officials said.

The following bridges will remain open to winter 2020 before work commences: Green Street, Waterman Street, Dragoon Street, Junction Avenue and West Grand Boulevard, officials said.

Local traffic can to exit northbound I-75 at Springwells and enter northbound I-75 at Clark. Southbound I-75 traffic can exit at Clark and enter southbound I-75 at Springwells.

West Fisher Service Drives between Springwells and Clark, on both sides of the interstate, will remain open.

Traffic traveling toward Detroit from Toledo on I-75 will be directed to I-275 north to Interstate 96, then I-96 east to reconnect with northbound I-75.

Traffic traveling to Toledo from Auburn Hills on I-75 will be directed to take I-96 west to Interstate 275, then I-275 south in order to reconnect with southbound I-75.

Traffic exiting the Ambassador Bridge toll plaza and traveling to Toledo will be directed to take I-96 west to I-275 south in order to connect with southbound I-75.

srahal@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @SarahRahal_

Read or Share this story: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2019/12/04/i-75-close-southwest-detroit-bridge-demolitions-weekend/2613739001/

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I-75 to close in southwest Detroit for bridge demolitions this weekend - The Detroit News

A time capsule will be uncovered underneath the Communications Center when the UI begins demolition in 2020.

The Communication Center is seen on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019. The Center is the former location of the UI School of Journalism and The Daily Iowan newsroom. The Board of Regents have voted to raze the building.

Katie Goodale

The Communication Center is seen on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019. The Center is the former location of the UI School of Journalism and The Daily Iowan newsroom. The Board of Regents have voted to raze the building.

Katie Goodale

Katie Goodale

The Communication Center is seen on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019. The Center is the former location of the UI School of Journalism and The Daily Iowan newsroom. The Board of Regents have voted to raze the building.

Demolition of the University of Iowa Communications Center, which is more than a half-century old, will uncover a time capsule placed beneath the buildings floorboards 33 years before the capsule was supposed to be retrieved.

Built in 1953, the Communications Center formerly housed both the journalism school and The Daily Iowan. The building is slated for demolition after graduation in spring 2020, said Wendy Moorehead, strategic communications manager of UI Facilities Management, and the crew will hand off the unopened capsule to the journalism school following its recovery.

Moorehead said that construction fencing will be implemented in January, asbestos abatement on the Communications Center will occur through March, and the actual demolition of the building will begin in May. The budget for the project is $970,000, she added.

Substantial completion will occur in early August, Moorehead said. Permanent restoration of the site into a greenspace with pedestrian plaza will occur under a separate project in 2021.

RELATED: Bidding farewell to The Daily Iowans old home in the Communications Center

The DI reported in 1953 that the time capsule was slated to contain manuscripts, equipment items such as film and tape, and the script of a movie.

Former UI journalism professor Edward Mason was quoted in a 1950s DI article stating that the time capsule aimed to present an interesting and meaningful picture of the mass-media world of 1953 for the communications profession of 2053.

Not only will it provide record of today, but it will also mirror our hopes and aspirations for the future, Mason said at the time.

Longtime former DI Publisher Bill Casey said that it was time for the aging building to be torn down.

It was a great location, but in the summer it was too hot, and in the winter it was too cold, Casey said. It leaked when it rained, but great work was done out of there through the hard work at The Daily Iowan.

The center was poorly built and had temporary walls, Casey said, so the DI was moved to the Adler Journalism Building following the buildings construction in 2005.

I remember conversation about the time capsule that existed underneath the Communications Center and what was possibly in it, Casey said. There are surely old copies of the DI, but Im not sure about what else.

UI history Associate Professor Nick Yablon published a book about time capsules and their importance.

Yablon said the time capsule wouldnt technically be called a time capsule at all because of its location.

Instead, Yablon said, the object would be called a cornerstone, which requires the demolition of a building to be retrieved, while a time capsule does not. Nevertheless, he said the terms are typically interchangeable and witnesses can learn similar things from both.

We might learn about how students viewed their own present and life as a student in that year. It might contain predictions about the future, Yablon said. It would be interesting to see where our society lies compared to their predictions.

Yablon said that people criticized the production of time capsules in the 50s, and many wondered why sane people spent time and money on the object without understanding the importance of it.

We can use the past to legitimize parts of history and use memories to see how people viewed their own contributions to history, Yablon said.

Read the rest here:
A glimpse into the past: UI will uncover time capsule with Communications Center demolition - UI The Daily Iowan

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Residents relieved as demolition starts on collapsing buildings in Tala - Cyprus Mail

Demolition expert S.B. Sarwate on Tuesday said that razing of the illegal flats at Maradu through controlled explosion would not have any significant impact on any structures in their vicinity.

Talking on controlled explosions at an event organised by the Institution of Engineers India, Kochi chapter, Mr. Sarwate, roped in by the government to help it pull down the structures that violated the CRZ rules, said that any normal structure would develop minor cracks after five years of construction. The character of soil in places like Kochi accelerates the process. He maintained that there was no need to link the cracks spotted at houses in the neighbourhood of the flats to the controlled explosion proposed for razing the towering apartment complexes to ground.

Mr. Sarwate, who holds a record in guiding over 250 demolitions through controlled explosions, said that from his experience, there was no need to harbour apprehensions about any danger from the proposed demolition at Maradu. The concerns raised by the residents in the neighbourhood had come to his notice, he said. But their fear is unfounded, he said.

The demolition, he argued, would be eco-friendly, as it would give rise to better atmosphere. It doesnt generate any chemicals. The concrete debris from the demolition can be removed and disposed of in about eight to 10 days, Mr. Sarwate said.

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Demolition will not impact nearby structures: Sarwate - The Hindu

A decision on whether to demolish Napier's civic building and library has been put off after doubts were raised about whether it was severely earthquake-prone as previously thought.

Napier's library. Photo: Google Maps

Both buildings have been empty since 2017 after an assessment found them to be earthquake prone and council staff have recommended demolishing both so the site could be sold or leased to a hotel company.

The 2017 Strata assessment found the civic building only met 10 percent of legal requirements for earthquake strength under the New Building Standards, while the library only met 15 percent.

However, former top EQC structural engineer Graeme Robinson told councillors this morning that his own assessment of the building in 2010 found it fully complied with earthquake standards.

"I assessed the main office building at not less than 100 percent of the New Building Standard for current earthquake design loadings, and I found that the council chambers had some structural limitations, so I recommended that it should be strengthened or demolished within 20 years."

The Strata report recommended the building be strengthened or demolished within 7.5 years, but it did not explain the level of "earthquake horizontal force" applied in its calculations, Mr Robinson said

"That is a fundamental issue I have with that Strata report. Without identifying the level of horizontal force that a new building of the same style would now be designed to resist, it is impossible to stats what percentage of that horizontal force would cause the building to collapse."

Strata appeared to have identified two columns that were expected to fail in an earthquake, despite rigid walls absorbing the bulk of the shocks, he said.

"And it is only after they have yielded and deflected sideways by significant distances that the flexible columns will be called upon to resist horizontal forces."

"The Strata assessment appears to reverse this sequence of structural failure," he said.

The Strata report also calculated that the building would collapse at a very low-level of shaking, yet it had survived four large earthquakes since it was constructed in 1968, Mr Robinson said.

Napier City Council's director of city strategy Richard Munneke told councillors the proposal to demolish the civic building was not around seismic strengthening, but that it was no longer fit for purpose.

"The civic building was prohibitively expensive to get up to modern building standards. It was decided we could sell the site for other purposes ... the demolition is one step in that process and no hotel to date has wanted anything to do with the current building in terms of building a hotel on that site," he said.

The council was in discussions with a hotel group to sell or lease the site, it confirmed.

However, in light of Graeme Robinson's report the council voted to delay its decision until the next council meeting on December 19.

Read more:
Napier demolition put on hold after doubts raised over severity of earthquake risk - RNZ