NEW ORLEANS The developer of the partially-collapsed Hard Rock Hotel on Canal Street says it is ready to start demolition as soon as this month and accused the city of holding up any progress on that plan.

1031 Canals comments come after the city attorney accused the company of not submitting a detailed demolition plan for approval by a Thursday evening deadline.

The developer did, however, submit to the Safety & Permits Departments answers to 37 questions about the plan. That document was provided to WWL-TV.

The hotel collapsed Oct. 12, 2019, killing three people and injuring dozens more. Two of the bodies of the men killed in the collapse are still inside the wreckage.

1031 Canal has pushed the city to approve another change in the plans to take down the partially-collapsed building after months of back-and-forth over whether explosives would be used to bring down the building or if a traditional piece-by-piece demolition would be safer.

The developer has now contracted with Kolb Grading for that demolition.

Kolb is prepared to mobilize at the site immediately after Easter, even before the permit is issued, a statement from 1031 Canal on Friday evening reads. The project is fully funded.

Sunni LeBeouf, an attorney for the city on the matter, said they still can't move forward without a chance to look at the demolition plan, which is says 1031 has not submitted more than six months after the collapse.

"They certainly are NOT waiting on the City's response, as they do no have, and have not submitted, a demolition plan... Apparently all deadlines are artificial, as 1031 Canal has had six months to finalize a contract and move a demolition plan forward, and unfortunately, we are all still waiting.

The city has argued a traditional demolition would endanger more lives, but D.H. Griffin, which was expected to dynamite the building, has said it can only get a $22 million insurance policy when that work would require a $50 million policy.

Griffin is now suing 1031 Canal in federal court to get out of its agreement.

But the latest change back in plans back to a traditional demolition isnt sitting well with City Hall.

In a new court filing in the case that pits Griffin against 1031 Canal, the city blasts the Hard Rocks developer, writing that the companys unwillingness to pay for a safe demolition at the Collapse Site is evidenced by the fact that it now purports to seek the City's approval for a fifth demolition plan.

If you are abandoning moving on from the most recent plan because of money and money alone, lets solve that money problem before we move on to a new plan, Ramsey Green, the citys deputy chief administrative officer for infrastructure, said during a recent interview.

In an email to nearby businesses posted online Friday, the developers attacked the city over what it called lies about the status of the hotel's demolition.

They denied that the hold-up was because of insurance costs, but also asked the city rhetorically further in the document whether they would be willing to pay the tens of thousands of dollars to make up for the insurance exposure the implosion would put them under.

Instead, they outlined their newest plan, which they said would be submitted by April 22.

In that plan, Kolb would demolish the building over the course of half a year.

In that timeline, the demolition would finish around the 1-year anniversary of the tragedy.

1031 Canal said the traditional demolition has already been approved by the insurer.

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Hard Rock developer says they want to start demolition this month - WWLTV.com

Highlights from the Sebring Council meeting on March 9:

INSURANCE: Dave Anderson explained the Public Entities of Ohio, Joint Self-Insurance Pool to Council. Henoted that the Village would save $2,300 a month with this pool insurance and the Village would retain its current insurance agent. Mr. Haney also noted that on top of saving money thecoverage has increased.

FIRE: Fire Chief Mike Springer updated Council on steps taken in reference to dilapidated buildings in the Village. Thestandard process once all required steps have been taken is for the Village to demolish thestructures and then access the taxes for the money. The entire process takesapproximately 60 days.He is interviewing for new firemen.Springer also asked permission to hold Chief Don Fryfogles spot open until he retires. With no objection from Council this would be probably for a year.He will be sending personnel to train on the fire mobile cad system. Chief Harris statedthey currently have the cad system but would be sending dispatchers to school in June.

MANAGER:Manager Jack Haney reported the Ohio Water Development Authority (OWDA) approved the loan for the generatorand West Texas Tank Rehabilitation Project in the amount of $1,290,090.50. This meanswe can go forward with approving the contract.The Village offices have a new cleaning company and have started some deep cleaningsince the last meeting.He has spoken with several residents about the alleys. We have received the stone toaddress their concerns.Has an article ready to send to the paper explaining the water rates. In addition tosending this to the newspaper it will be posted on the Village website.He is watching the information on the coronavirus and has been making sure the buildinghas been getting extra attention to the door knobs, counters, phones. Cuyahoga Countyis reporting three cases at this time. A call center has been set up by the HealthDepartment.Attended the Ohio City Managers conference last week. One of the sessions was withthe State Fire Marshall. Information will be shared with our Fire Chief. He also madesome contacts with managers who might be interested in working for the Village.Looking into CDBG funds for stormwater and sidewalk projects.Crine asked about the Village wide clean up. Mr. Haney had no further updates at this time, butwould have some for the next meeting.

Report of other Village Officials:

Service Director Bill Sanor reported they are waiting on the weather to work on the alleys and get the gravel in. They are continuing to read meters. The street sweeper is down and in the shop. The quote received was over $15,000 to repair.

Police Chief Ray Harris reported after Officer Scott resigned, the department is down twoofficers, one full-time and one part-time. He is doing interviews. The Civil Service listhas one qualified candidate and that officer will take the position. Another test will be conducted.He has interviewed three people for the part-time position and will be offering theposition to one of them. There werethree no knock search warrants served after months of preparation. There are more tocome.The CAD system has been almost two years coming. This was free from the countyhowever there are other options available to the Village for a fee.

Attorney Gary Van Brocklin reported he helped Village Clerk Cindy draft legislation for tonights agenda; met with attorneys representing both parties in the settlement with Smith Township andwould update Council in executive session tonight; and he would also address the contract with Beloit in reference to water in executive session.

Finance Director Chris Zion reported the note to Farmers National Bank has beenpaid off. This was discussed at the last meeting.Mayor Harp asked if he was still creating the hours worked report. Mr. Zion said no, itwas too time consuming. Aberegg noted that if there was any discrepancy, he had faith inthe City Manager or Department Head to address it.

Ordinances and Resolutions approved:

An ordinance authorizing the Village of Sebring to join the Public Entities Pool of Ohio, a joint self-insurance pool and declaring an emergency.

An ordinance accepting the premiums for various automobile, liability and property insurance coverages proposed by the Public Entities Pool of Ohio, through USI Insurance services, for the Village of Sebring, Ohio and declaring an emergency.

An ordinance to adopt an employee dishonesty and faithful performance of duty policy and declaring an emergency.Mr. Haney explained that this needed passed for the new insurance. Instead of individual bondswe would now have a blanket bond for coverage. The coverage would not be by person but byposition.Attorney Van Brocklin stated that we need to adopt this policy in order to do away with theindividual bonds.

An ordinance accepting the bid of Zenith Systems LLC for the water treatment plant generator replacement, and declaring an emergency.Haney explained that these projects were held up until the loan was approved by OWDA.Engineering was done by Quicksall. In addition, these projects should not create any disruptionof City services.

An ordinance accepting the bid of Utility Services Company Inc. for the West Texas Avenue and rehabilitation, and declaring an emergency.

An ordinance amending the current year appropriations for the Waterworks System Fund as established in Ordinance 24-2019, the appropriations ordinance of the Village of Sebring for the year 2020, and declaring an emergency.Finance Director Zion explained that in December when the budget was done it was unknown ifwe would get the loan therefore, we could not put this appropriation in the budget. This willincrease the fund for the two contracts.

An ordinance creating Section 147.10 of the Codified Ordinances of the Village of Sebring to establish legal holidays.

Council went into executive session to consider the appointment, employment, dismissal, discipline, promotion, demotion, orcompensation of a public employee or official specifically to discuss the Smith Townshipsettlement and Beloit water contract.

Other Action:

Bills were paid from Feb. 1 -29 totaling $321,000.11.

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Sebring moving forward on demolition program - News - The Review - The-review

If there was any piece of entertainment that no one expected to be a foreteller of the future, it was Demolition Man. However, the 1993 sci-fi action comedy predicted everything from corporate conglomerates to smoking bans and now, social distancing. In a new interview, writer Daniel Waters said hes just as surprised as we are that what happened in his film is coming to pass.

During a chat with Vulture, Waters talked about the latest global phenomenon to get the Demolition Man predicted it round of applause: social distancing. In the movie, physical contact has been largely banned. Sex is now done virtually, meetings can be called into remotely, and characters give each other air high fives instead of handshakes. What makes it feel even more eerie is the reason behind it: As explained by Lenina (Sandra Bullock), it was because people kept spreading diseases to one another. At the time, it was a commentary on the AIDS crisis, but now it takes on a different tone because of coronavirus.

The mini-monologue she gives, about the different pandemics that led to this point that speech, it seems so reasonable now. Slowly but surely, were getting them all, he said. I loved seeing the quote-unquote handshake Rob Schneider and Benjamin Bratt give each other in this. I can totally see it. Once you get into, We dont want anything icky in the future, then its funny how it just happens. You wouldnt touch. You wouldnt have sex, oh, god, no.

That said, Waters isnt one to toot his own horn about being a prognosticator of the future. He joined Demolition Man late in the game to rework the existing script (which had started out as a traditional action flick), adding humour and futuristic takes on modern popular culture. During his interview, he seemed kind of uncomfortable with all the praise about the films prescience.

Theres a scene early on, where Wesley Snipes looks at who is in the prison with him, and the second name on the list is Scott Peterson before he killed his wife, he said. So, this guy was saying, Look at this! This movie predicted Scott Peterson was going to prison! Like, Jesus, lets keep it down.

This goes double for the hot takes coming from folks who are, shall we say, less inclined to support political correctness. One of Demolition Mans main tenets is how the future is overly politically correct, something that Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes characters actively work to overcome over the course of the movie. The ending moral seems to be that there should always be a middle ground, but some folks have taken a more extreme interpretation. One that Waters does not appear to agree with.

Somebody linked me to this die-hard Ill put it charitably libertarian guy who wrote Actually, Demolition Man is the great thesis statement of the 90s. Its like, whoa, whoa. What, am I going to be Mr. Anti-Politically-Correct now? No, just having a little fun.

Excerpt from:
Demolition Man's Writer Wasn't Trying to Be Prescient, He Just Wanted to Make a Funny Movie - Gizmodo UK

General News of Friday, 17 April 2020

Source: http://www.ghanaweb.com

play videoFile photo

The military men spotted during the demolition exercise at Old Fadama were deployed for lockdown purposes, the Chief Executive Officer of Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has said.

According to Mohammed Adjei Sowah, the presence of the military in the area was to make sure people, especially traders within the enclave adhere to the partial lockdown directive given by the president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and not because of the demolition exercise.

Also, the military were there to decongest the place as most traders and slum dwellers do not adhere to the social distancing rule.

The military had been positioned there for some time now as part of the lockdown arrangement, we decided to place the military along that stretch, Mr Sowah said.

On Wednesday, April 15, there was a demolition exercise at Old Fadama aka Sodom and Gomorrah, a slum on the banks of the Korle Lagoon, to allow contractors dredge the lagoon.

The exercise which left over 200 people homeless has got many talking about it, including human rights advocate from Amnesty International.

Amnesty International noted that though it is illegal for the squatters to live there, the timing for the dredging exercise was inappropriate especially when the country is in a partial lockdown and everyone has to stay at home.

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Old Fadama demolition: The military were there to enforce lockdown directive Mayor - GhanaWeb

Published: 4/16/2020 1:36:22 PM

Modified: 4/16/2020 1:36:12 PM

MONTAGUE Though a long-term plan for the property isnt set in stone, the former Strathmore mill complex is scheduled for removal of asbestos and other hazardous materials this spring.

The Selectboard approved the hazardous material removal on Monday. The work is scheduled to be finished by the end of May, per the contract with the engineering firm, Tighe & Bond, of Westfield.

According to Town Planner Walter Ramsey, the town took ownership of the former mill complex located on the island between the power canal and the Connecticut River in 2010 for back taxes, and is working toward eventually getting it back into use by partnering with a developer.

Any repurposing will likely involve at least partial demolition, Ramsey said. Montague has a plan on file for demolishing about half of the building, including the chimney stack that is visibly decaying.

But without extensive grant funding, and without market interest in redeveloping the property, hazardous material removal is the most the town can do for now to keep the site viable, said Town Administrator Steve Ellis.

When it comes to old mill buildings, doing nothing over an extended period of time pushes you away from the likelihood of redevelopment, and toward demolition, Ellis said. We dont want anyone to think that weve been sitting on our hands relative to making a decision.

The hazardous material removal is worth about $450,000. It is funded by a $250,000 Brownfields Redevelopment grant from MassDevelopment, and the remainder is being covered by the town of Montague, Ramsey said.

The eventual redevelopment of the property will likely involve partial demolition and selective reuse, Ramsey said.

Theres a preference to retain the historic buildings there, but we acknowledge that might not be feasible, Ramsey said, noting that the complex has deteriorated in its condition. All options are on the table.

Reach Max Marcus at mmarcus@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.

Continued here:
Removal of hazardous material planned at former Strathmore mill complex in Montague - The Recorder

Rodney Smith Jr. is making a difference across communities one lawn at a time. He is the founder of Raising Men Lawn Care Service, a nonprofit organization that provides free lawn care to the elderly, those who are disabled, single parents, and veterans.

Hes not just maintaining lawns, hes shaping the youth of the future as well, helping girls and boys understand their value in society.

I wanted to use this as an outlet, so kids could put down the video games and get out there in the community and give back because I believe its important for kids to learn how to give back before they receive things, Rodney Smith Jr told Cheddar Wednesday.

He's challenging kids to cut 50 lawns for free for those who need it most. For every 10 lawns cut, they get a new Raising Men or Raising Women shirt in different colors. Once they get to 50 lawns, they get a new color shirt along with a brand new lawnmower, weed eater, and blower that Smith said he would personally deliver to anywhere in the country.

The organizer said about 50 kids have completed this challenge and 750 are currently taking it on.

They are becoming active in their community and that's a beautiful thing to see, Smith said.

Smith also added that amid the coronavirus pandemic he started what he called a "mow and drop" service that includes grocery drop-offs along with lawn care for those stuck inside.

Originally posted here:
Lawn Care Nonprofit Challenges Young People to Be Active in Their Community - Cheddar

ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) -- When Minnesota Governor Tim Walz extended his 'stay at home' executive order Wednesday, he also modified the order to include more businesses as essential allowing them back to work.

That list now includes lawn care and landscaping businesses, including American Turf Technician and Creative Curb Appeal in Rochester.

"I got the article right to my phone and when I read that and saw that we are apart of critical sector I got happy and excited," Mandy Wiley said, American Turf Technician and Creative Curb Appeal Manager. She added, "With the pandemic and everything that has happened we have seen a cut in revenue."

One thing that surprised Wiley is the number of people wanting lawn care during the shut down.

"I was actually really surprised with the amount of phone calls that we were getting from customers," Wiley stated. "We do cater to the older demographic of people so they can't really get at and mow their own yards."

In order to keep the employees and community safe the company is taking extra precaution to sanitize the equipment.

Although business is now back to usual, Mother Nature might be putting a pause on lawn care once again.

"We want to get out and get started right away, but the snow is going to put a hold on that," Mandy said. "My greatest hope is that we can return to some kind of normalcy."

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ESSENTIAL BUSINESSES: Lawn care services added to the list - KTTC

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) -- Gov. Tony Evers has directed the Department of Health Services to extend the Safer at Home order for more than a month.

The order, which was set to expire in eight days, will now be in effect until 8 a.m. on May 26, which is the day after Memorial Day, unless another superseding order changes it.

A few weeks ago, we had a pretty grim outlook for what COVID-19 could mean for our state, but because of the efforts of all of you, Safer at Home is working. That said, we aren't out of the woods just yet, said Gov. Evers.

According to Evers, everyone's compliance has helped flatten the curve and reduced the number of hospitalizations. He noted that several weeks about there were projections of 440 to 1,500 deaths in the state.

Currently, the total stands at 197.

"We saved lives together," he added.

SCHOOLS CLOSED; GOLF COURSES OPEN

The directive includes several changes including closing schools for the rest of the school year and it will also allow golf courses to reopen. The full list of changes from Gov. Evers' announcement:

REOPENING WISCONSIN

In his statement, Evers asserted his administration will rely on science and public health experts to help decide when the state can be reopened. DHS Secretary-designee Andrea Palm explained there will need to be more testing and "more robust health measures," before the order is lifted.

These steps will help us reduce the risk of a second wave of the virus," she said.

Palm warns opening the state too soon risks overwhelming the state's hospitals and could mean returning 'drastic' social distancing measures.

Evers pointed out, though, that things won't be getting back to normal until a vaccine and treatment are developed.

"Even then our new normal wont be the same as our old normal," he continued.

FITZGERALD CRITICIZES CALL

The highest ranking member of the Wisconsin Senate criticized Evers' decision, saying that it reflects a "one-size-fits-all approach" that does not take into account how different parts of the state have been affected. He cited rural communities that have not had as many reported cases, yet remain covered by the order.

The Republican Senator also attacked the Governor for not releasing a plan for how the state will get going again once the order is lifted.

Everyone agrees that reasonable measures must be taken during a public health crisis. Health and safety are a priority, however to extend this order for another month without a plan for how to reopen the state or clear benchmarks for an early expiration is simply unacceptable," he said.

Noting that the Senate has not been involved in discussions about the order, Fitzgerald stated that lawmakers intend to look into taking legislative action in conjunction with the Governor's office, to find solutions.

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Evers extends Safer at Home to May 26, closes schools for the year - WMTV

By Assistant Chief Jim Eden

LEES SUMMIT, MO On Monday, April 13, 2020, at 12:48 p.m., the Lees Summit Fire Department responded to 221 NW Commerce Court for a possible structure fire. Employees at Weed Man Lawn Care reported a truck fire in the garage. An employee walking through the garage noticed smoke and then a small fire. The fire grew quickly and building was evacuated.

When crews arrived, smoke was coming from the overhead doors of the business. Crews entered the building and extinguished a fire involving the engine compartment and cab of a pickup truck. There was some involvement of nearby equipment, but no involvement of any lawn care chemicals in the building. The incident was under control by 1:06 p.m. A search of the building confirmed there were no other employees inside.

Fire damage was contained to the front the truck and some nearby equipment. Smoke and heat damage varied throughout the garage area. Closed doors kept most of the smoke out of the office area.

The exact cause of the fire is undetermined, but believed to be due to an electrical failure in the truck.

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Employees At Weed Man Lawn Care Report Truck Fire Inside the Building Just As It Starts - lstribune

SPRINGFIELD, Mass (WWLP) Many people are spending more time at home during Massachusetts stay-at-home advisory in effect for the coronavirus pandemic.

With the weather warming up, many homeowners are turning to lawn care to spend their free time. Now is a good time to get your yard ready for a nice summer.

Right now is the time for general yard clean up, seeding and crabgrass preventative. You can start mowing, but it helps to mow a little shorter than normal.

In the next few weeks, you can start weed preventative and lawn food.

Its not until May that you need to start fertilizing. This is also the time to start mowing at a regular height. Fertilizing wouldve been recommended earlier if we kept up with our warmer temperatures we saw earlier this month, but more recently, theyve dipped below normal, so soil temperatures dropped back down.

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Lawn care tips that can be started now and what to wait for - WWLP.com