Contractors are finalizing steps that will lead to the demolition of NOLA's Hard Rock Hotel, which began to collapse in October of 2019. Photo: WWL-TV

NEW ORLEANS - After months of delays, demolition contractors appear to be laying the groundwork for the demolition of the partially collapsed Hard Rock Hotel in New Orleans.

According toWWL-TV, on Thursday afternoon there was little movement at the site, but critical work is being done behind the scenes and at other locations.

This is called the mobilization phase, said UNO engineering professor Norma Jean Mattei. The contractor is mobilizing. He's getting all of his equipment in place.

Large wooden planks, known as cribbing, are being placed across Rampart and Canal streets in preparation to bring in more heavy equipment. The cribbing work appeared to be almost finished late Thursday.

Mattei says the cribbing will soon support massive cranes and other large pieces of machinery.

So what you do is you put down these massive timbers that spreads the load out so the street can safely carry that load, Mattei said. The cranes are a massive payload, and they will be used to bring down massive payloads as they start to bring down pieces of the building.

In order to bring down the main structure, the city granted Hard Rock developer, 1031 Canal, and main demolition contractor, Kolb Grading, emergency approval to tear down three buildings adjacent to the hotel.

The Old Post Office on Iberville was demolished last week. Two buildings on Canal, the former Alamo Theater and a smaller next to it, are scheduled to come down next.

Once those buildings are leveled, activity should start on bringing down the Hard Rock's upper floors, Mattei said.

I think we'll see some of those pancaked section, on the Rampart side, probably start to come down first, she said. They really want to get those pieces that are not stable.

It's likely that the first unsteady piece of the wreckage to come down will be the remnants of the tower crane that hangs over the sidewalk on Canal. The crane was partially brought down by dynamite in November.

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Contractors prepare for demolition of NOLA's partially collapsed Hard Rock Hotel - WBRZ

Days after Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced that another demolition at a shuttered coal-fired plant in Little Village would temporarily be halted, a group of community activists on Sunday pushed to prevent the building from coming down until COVID-19 passes.

Lightfoots administration gave the go-ahead Thursday to demolish a turbine structure at the site of the former Crawford power plant. But when protesters showed up at Lightfoots Logan Square home that night, she swiftly called off the demolition and said it will not move forward for the next several days.

However, activist Raul Montes Jr. fears the demolition is still imminent.

Montes and Blue Island Mayor Domingo Vargas led a news conference Sunday near the site and pushed for a moratorium on any demolitions at the site until October. They were joined by Kenneth Klein, a Little Village resident who believes he developed lung cancer and COPD from living near the plant.

We want transparency, Montes told the Chicago Sun-Times. People were not getting notice of the demolition that was going to occur. Theres no transparency, and we just feel that we want justice for this. Weve gone through enough already

The push for added transparency comes after an April 11 smokestack implosion at the site sent a cloud of dust billowing through Little Village. Local Ald. Mike Rodriguez (22nd) has also voiced his opposition to any immediate demolition work and has called for work crews to leave the site.

Montes worries the dust from the blast exacerbated the conditions of individuals like Klein and others with respiratory illnesses, who are particularly susceptible to COVID-19.

In the wake of the debacle in April, Lightfoot blamed Hilco Redevelopment Partners, slapped the firm with $68,000 in fines and vowed to overhaul a flawed city regulatory system that allowed it to happen. She also ordered a six-month moratorium on implosions at the site a ban that wouldnt have affected the recently delayed demolition.

Nevertheless, Montes believes the citys actions were nothing more than a slap on the wrist to a company that has a lot of money. Meanwhile, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul has sued Hilco, MCM Management Corp. and Controlled Demolition Inc. for violating state pollution laws.

In reversing course last week, Lightfoot vowed to engage with the local community to discuss the structurally dangerous condition of that small building. But as far as Montes can tell, that hasnt happened, and he now fears that Lightfoot will simply go ahead with the demolition in the coming days.

Were being stonewalled, said Montes, who is also pushing for an evacuation of the area surrounding the site in the case of an explosion.

Lightfoots office didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Though Lightfoot halted demolition at shuttered Little Village coal plant, activists fear its still imminent - Chicago Sun-Times

Mayor Lori Lightfoot says another demolition must go forward at a shuttered coal-fired power plant in Chicagos Little Village neighborhood, for safetys sake. If thats the case, Hilco Redevelopment Partners and city officials had better get it right this time.

On April 11, three weeks into a stay-at-home order because of the coronavirus, a botched implosion of an old towering smokestack at the site covered the neighborhood in smoke, dirt and dust.

It was yet another slap in the face to a neighborhood that has suffered many blows in recent years.

The latest setbacks for Little Village include the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the state. More than 2,600 people who live in the neighborhoods 60623 zip code have tested positive for the virus.

And this is happening as a hospital that serves the community, Saint Anthony, struggles to keep its doors open. The state has fallen short with its share of funds since the days of former Gov. Bruce Rauner. Saint Anthony CEO Guy A. Medaglia told me in an email that donations and federal coronavirus relief funds are keeping the hospital going.

This Mexican American community cant catch a break.

The neighborhood is well known for its 26th Street business corridor, one of the citys leading revenue producers with its many Mexican restaurants and shops. After the Great Recession, it took years for 26th Street to regain its vibrancy. But it made a comeback despite the neighborhoods struggles with violence.

Now Little Village faces another tough recovery, one that will be made all the harder because of continued threats of immigration raids by the president and his contempt for people with brown skin.

City Halls decision to allow the April demolition to proceed, at a time when people were stuck at home because of the pandemic, showed callous disregard. After the implosion, the Chicago Fire Department wrote on Twitter: CFD provided support on demolition of stack at the old Crawford power generation plant near the ship canal and Pulaski now being cleared for new development. Occured (sic) at 8 am April 11. No problems.

No problems?

Maybe not at the demolition site. But try telling that to the people forced to breathe in the thick cloud of dust that engulfed the neighborhood.

Since then, city and state officials have tried to do damage control. Theyve gone after Hilco and the demolition company with citations and fines.

But that hasnt made residents of Little Village feel any better.

It was our worst nightmare, but it wasnt too surprising, Antonio Lopez, senior adviser and former executive director of the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, said of the implosion. City officials and the developer, he told me, hadnt been forthcoming with information beforehand.

There are so many layers of disrespect, he said.

Lopez sees failures all around, from the building and health departments that allowed the work to proceed to new Ald. Mike Rodriguez, who knew a week ahead of time about the implosion but didnt warn people for days. Rodriguez, who tried in vain to delay the demolition, has apologized.

Rodriguez told me Wednesday that officials are making a compelling case about another buildings instability and the need for another round of demolition. The hideous structure looks perilous as you drive past it on Pulaski Road. The city has narrowed northbound traffic to one lane, citing a potential danger.

Lopez has little confidence that the city and developer would get the next demolition done right.

The Little Village Environmental Justice Organization led a 12-year grass-roots effort to close the coal plant that spewed pollutants. It shuttered in 2012 under former Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

The environmental group participated in a redevelopment task force for the site until Hilco got hold of it, Lopez said.

This seems like a good time to mention that in 2015 Hilco gave the Chicago for Rahm Emanuel campaign committee a $50,000 contribution. That no doubt helped to smooth the way for the Northbrook-based company.

Redevelopment plans call for a logistics and distribution center to be built. Diesel-powered trucks will come and go. Lopez and others arent happy about it because it will mean more pollution.

It could have been such a different story, a shining example of how we build healthier and safer neighborhoods, Lopez said.

I spoke to Rodriguez, the alderman, about the repeated knockdowns Little Village has endured. He emphasized the neighborhoods resilience.

But everyone has a breaking point.

Marlen Garcia is a member of the Sun-Times Editorial Board.

Send letters to letters@suntimes.com.

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Yet another demolition will test the mettle of Little Village - Chicago Sun-Times

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) As it has on almost everything else, the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed parts of the plan to rid downtown Norfolk of aging public housing complexes and replace them with mixed-income communities.

The Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority told residents in a letter last month that because of the ongoing COVID-19 situation, the redevelopment plans are being delayed.

There is no requirement that you look for alternate housing, move, or use any relocation services during the next six months, the notice read.

Meaning: It is unknown when exactly the visual effects of the multimillion-dollar transformation project may actually be seen.

When residents living in nearly 200 units of the Tidewater Gardens community learned in August 2018 that theyd be among the first to have to relocate, a rough timeline estimated demolition would begin in mid-2020.

However, then the longest government shutdown in modern U.S. history closed the federal Housing and Urban Development office, a lawsuit was filed by residents claiming the redevelopment plans are racist and now a worldwide pandemic has restricted peoples movement.

We have had a few bumps in the road, said Councilwoman Angelia Graves Williams, who represents all three St. Pauls public housing communities as part of her superward. Certainly we werent going to force people to move during a pandemic. HUD put a freeze on rent and collections and things of that nature anyway. So, this really isnt that big of a hiccup in terms of how we move forward. We are still working.

Last year,HUD awarded NRHA $30 million as part of its Choice Neighborhood Initiativegrants, to tear down the 618-unit Tidewater Gardens. To prepare, residents must move. A resident can either choose to relocate to another NRHAproperty or take a voucher and live in privately-owned section8 housing.

Currently, 30 percent of the community is already vacant, with Williams Graves saying many people left on their own.

As part of an agreement made in court, demolition could proceed with several buildings in the phase 1 plan if residents voluntarily move out.

We will continue to work with residents with People First to make all transitions, Williams Graves said.

People First is an effort launched by the city and run by St. Louis basedUrban Strategies, Inc. to aid in the relocation of 1,700 families.

In January 2018,Norfolk City Council votedto have the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority move aheadwith plans to eventually levelthe Tidewater Gardens,Young Terrace and Calvert Square public housing complexes and replace them with mixed-income communities. The goal is to increase the quality of life for residents and leave behind the neighborhoods poverty-stricken past.

But the program will not be able to use $1.8 million it originally was going to have this coming year.

On Tuesday night, Norfolk City Council voted to transfer the money to help cover operating costs. The city forecasted a $40 million shortfall due to COVID-19.

It is a part of a sacrifice that everybody in the city has had to make in order to work through, Williams Graves said.

She explained because of saving from other parts of the People First operation, the level of service shouldnt change.

Just know, it is only one year of delayed funds.

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Mandatory move-outs halted, but Norfolk leaders say demolition of public housing could still move forward this year - WAVY.com

Mayor Lori Lightfoot acknowledged Monday her administration should have done a better job of communicating with Little Village residents but stood her ground on the need for yet another demolition on the site of a shuttered coal-fired power plant.

In fact, the mayor argued the turbine building is in such imminent danger of collapsing, the northbound lanes of Pulaski Road are being shut down to protect passing motorists.

The building that were talking about not the large one is a risk. It is unsafe. It is structurally compromised, Lightfoot said, adding that she also worries that while the city and community keep talking, something could happen on site that poses a danger to the workers that are there.

Also, its right up against Pulaski Road, the mayor said. So were taking the steps to shut down the northbound lanes, which are at the eastern edge of the site, for safety. This is not a nicety. This is a building and buildings that are structurally unsound.

Lightfoot said she went out to the site Friday night to walk the grounds again and see the perilous conditions with her own eyes.

Its not safe for anybody. So while we absolutely must continue to educate residents and demonstrate to them visually as well as orally what the dangers are, those buildings must come down. Were gonna do it step by step. But we have to bring them down, she said, refusing to say when the demolition would take place.

Last Thursday, the Lightfoot administration gave the go-ahead for a second demolition on the site of the former power plant, infuriating Little Village residents still reeling from the disastrous implosion of a 95-year-old smokestack on the site on April 11.

But a few hours later, the mayor put the turbine building demolition on hold for what she claimed was the next several days after a group of protestors gathered outside her Logan Square home. On Monday, Lightfoot acknowledged picketing outside her home goes with the territory.

The mayor also talked openly about the need to communicate more clearly and candidly to a Little Village community that has borne the brunt of the coronavirus and was victimized by what activists call environmental racism long before the pandemic.

This is a community that really has felt disrespected, lack of resources, in the middle of a very difficult and challenging environmental problem for decades. We have to recognize that. I have to recognize it and I do, Lightfoot said.

Were not gonna be able to erase decades of feeling in one moment. Thats not gonna be possible. But we do have to constantly look for other ways in which we can reach out, help educate and listen to what people in those communities are saying. And certainly, we should have done a better job last week. Were trying to address that shortcoming now.

On April 11, armed with a city demolition permit that local Ald. Mike Rodriguez (22nd) tried to stop, a now-fired sub-contractor for Hilco Redevelopment Partners demolished the smokestack without the promised safety measures.

That caused a giant plume of dust to rain down on the community. Homes, vehicles, streets and sidewalks were left filthy.

Lightfoot blamed Hilco, slapped the company with $68,000 in fines and vowed to overhaul a flawed city regulatory system that allowed it to happen.

After the demolition, the turbine building was left half demolished and exposed to the weather elements, including wind and rain, which rendered an already unsafe building an immediate threat to public health and safety, according to a structural analysis prepared by the citys Department of Buildings and obtained by the Sun-Times.

With photographs to back its assertions, the report concluded that:

Steel columns are exposed and unbraced in both dimensions.

The adjacent building structure that originally provided lateral support to the steel columns has been removed.

Large areas of exterior brick are unsupported and remain in place solely due to mortar adhesion and the brick could collapse due to its own weight and wind pressure.

Structural steel roof trusses are damaged and deformation of trusses and cross bracing could get worse.

The exposed steel makes the site an attractive nuisance to scrappers who regularly trespass on the site.

In the interest of public safety, the turbine structure is unsound and needs to be removed immediately, the report states.

It is expected that the demolition of the turbine structure will take approximately one-to-two days, weather permitting.

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Mayor Lori Lightfoot admits her people should have done a better job telling Little Village residents about - Chicago Sun-Times

TIRANA (Reuters) - Albanian authorities began demolishing the national theatre building early on Sunday after dragging away two dozen actors and activists protecting the site, drawing a large crowd chanting shame and dictatorship.

A woman holds a sign reading "Who resists today wins tomorrow" as she attends a protest against the demolition of the National Theatre, during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Tirana, Albania May 18, 2020. REUTERS/Florion Goga

For more than two years actors, activists and the opposition have contested plans by Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama to build a new theatre, saying the existing building was part of the countrys heritage, and accused him of corrupt practices.

A large police force showed up before dawn and removed members of the Alliance to Protect the Theatre, using pepper spray. Mechanized diggers then began demolishing its front column, bearing the words National Theatre.

The fate of the building, constructed in 1939 and made into a national theatre in 1945, has divided society, with many angry that Rama had chosen to act during the coronavirus lockdown.

This is no longer about the theatres demolition but the downfall of democracy and freedom. We are in a dictatorship, an unidentified member of the alliance said on a Facebook video.

Rama, whose government says the theatre was decrepit and in need of modernisation, stuck to his idea he was pushing for progress, after building a new soccer stadium and market.

These are the same people who rise against every project in Tirana. They do not want development, but they cannot stop Tirana, Rama said in a Facebook post.

Protesters shoved police blocking access to the site and chanted down with the dictatorship, leading to 37 arrests. One policeman was hospitalized after being hit by protesters, while a Reuters witness also saw one protester with head injuries.

One of those arrested, media analyst Alfred Lela, said after his release that police had used unjustified violence and verbal abuse. Policemen kicked protesters, who threw water bottles, according to a Reuters witness.

The police said accusations of violence were untrue.

Critics of the original plan for a new theatre said the work had been awarded to one of the governments preferred partners without being subject to tender, with the construction of several new high-rise properties included in the deal.

The Socialist government withdrew that plan in February.

Protesters have claimed that a six-month period is required by law for a new project to be approved, and that the government has not secured the proper permits to carry out the demolition.

Mariya Gabriel, the European Unions Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth Commissioner, last week urged further discussions before any decision was made on the theatre.

Opposition Democratic Party leader Lulzim Basha said the demolition was illegal, and had also demolished the foundations of society.

President Ilir Meta, who holds a largely ceremonial role in government, has complained to the constitutional court about the demolition, which he has called an legal, moral and constitutional crime. The court is yet to rule.

Reporting by Benet Koleka; Editing by Jan Harvey

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Demolition of Albanian national theatre sparks angry protests - Reuters

Buildings next to a collapsed hotel construction project in New Orleans are coming down.

Crews began demolition Friday of one of three buildings near the collapsed Hard Rock Hotel structure in the citys Central Business District. Officials have said those buildings must be cleared to give space for the hotel demolition to safely begin.

The bodies of two workers who were trapped inside the collapsed structure on Oct. 12 remain between the 8th and 10th floors. Two construction cranes that had been leaning over the project were brought down days later with explosives but the rest of the building has been standing for months as the city and developer argued about how best to bring it down.

Crews expect to recover the workers remains in early June.

Demolition is scheduled to begin on a second building this week, WWL-TVreported.

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The company manufacturedsuch brands as Bicycle, Bee, Aviator, Aristocrat and many more.

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Joe Simon, Special to Cincinnati Enquirer Published 1:43 p.m. ET May 20, 2020

Check out this video of the demolition of the U.S. Playing Card Company building in Norwood May 19-20. Cincinnati Enquirer

The United States Playing Card Co.building at 4590 Beech St., Norwood, is in the process of being demolished. Only part of the site will be demolished while the building with the clock tower, which is onthe National Registerof Historic Places, will remain for the U.S. Playing Card Redevelopment.

The company manufacturedsuch brands as Bicycle, Bee, Aviator, Aristocrat and many more.The building was designed by Samuel Hannaford & Sons.

During World War II, the company made cards that could be pulled apart when submerged in water. The inside was a map and when all the cards were put together, it was a large map. These were supplied to prisoners of warwho could use the map to reach safetyif they were able to escape.

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Watch the demolition of the U.S. Playing Card Co. building in Norwood - The Cincinnati Enquirer

Jennifer Lewerenz | May 19, 2020 AT 6:41 am

(KNSI) - A central Minnesota church, heavily damaged by fire, will be demolished this week.

The 122-year-old St. Mary's Church in Melrose will be no more as crews are getting set to tear the building down.

March 11th, 2016, crews responded to a fire at the church, which had started sometime before 5:00 that afternoon. Crews from three departments battled the blaze, which caused more than a million dollars' damage.

In 2018, a teenager confessed to setting the fire, after a 22 month-long investigation by the Stearns County Sheriff's Department, Melrose Police Department, The State Fire Marshal's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms. The boy, who was 13 at the time of the fire, was charged with first-degree arson.

The fire caused extensive damage to the altar and sacristy area. The wood altar, which was made in Germany, and installed prior to the church's dedication in 1899, was completely destroyed.

Along with fire damage, there were several feet of standing water in the basement.

In 2019, parishioners who were trying to stop the church's demolition lost an appeal. St. Mary's is on the National Register of Historic Places, and the group argued that the church couldn't be torn down under the Minnesota Environmental Rights Act. A judge from the Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the St. Cloud Diocese, saying that it was an internal matter.

The church was a fixture in Melrose with its 130-foot towers, but those towers will come down as soon as Tuesday. A new $10 million dollar church is under construction nearby. The new building will use stained glass and the bells from the old building.

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Demolition This Week for St. Mary's Church in Melrose - KNSI Radio

Work is expected to begin July 1 with demolition completed by the end of this year.

A nearly century-old Erie school building will be coming down this fall.

The Erie School District on Monday opened bids to remove asbestos from the former Roosevelt Middle School at 2300 Cranberry St. and to demolish the school when thats finished.

The Erie School Board is expected to award the bids by June 11.

Asbestos abatement is expected to begin about July 1.

Demolition should begin by September and be completed by the end of the year, said Neal Brokman, executive director of operations for the school district.

There were four bids to remove asbestos from the 99,000-square-foot building. The bids ranged from $178,000 to $587,000, Brokman said.

Asbestos abatement is expected to take about a month to complete, Brokman said.

There were 12 bids to demolish the building once asbestos is removed. The bids ranged from $379,000 to $1,248,000, Brokman said.

The asbestos abatement and demolition bids will be reviewed by architects to make sure they meet project specifications before they are presented to the School Board for action.

Items that can be salvaged from the building and reused, including the decorative tile surrounds from drinking fountains, have mostly been removed, Brokman said.

"At this point, anything architectural was removed by the district a while ago," he said. "We still plan to go in and take out all of the usable lockers that are in the building. That way we can repurpose them in our buildings or make them available to the community. We have received several emails and phone calls from people requesting lockers."

"Pickers" additionally have gone through the building and bought transom windows, wood shelving, cupboards, cabinets, old tables and other items, Brokman said.

The former Roosevelt Middle School had been deteriorating in recent decades and was closed in 2007. The school district tried for years to sell the building, listing it for $159,000. But there were no takers.

The school was built in 1922 and was named in honor of Theodore Roosevelt.

The Erie School District expects to allow the public to buy bricks from the longtime school. The bricks could be sold to benefit the Foundation for Eries Public Schools

"What we want to do is work with the general contractor on the job and try to arrange to salvage as many bricks as possible for people in the community who want them," Brokman said.

Contact Valerie Myers at vmyers@timesnews.com. Follow her on Twitter @ETNmyers.

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Roosevelt demolition to begin with asbestos removal - News - GoErie.com