Saying those seeking to raze a derelict greenhouse followed the process outlined in a local ordinance, New Canaans town building official last week told members of an appointed municipal body that he wouldnt enforce their request to re-notice the structure.

The disused and damaged greenhouse at the New Canaan Nature Center is to be demolished. Credit: Michael Dinan

According to some members of the Historical Review Committee, the sign affixed to a ca.-1900 greenhouse at the New Canaan Nature Center failed to meet a requirement that it be posted in a conspicuous location of the property on which the structure is situated and that its visible from the nearest public street or other accessway adjoining the property.

Committee member Ed Vollmer said during the appointed bodys April 16 meeting that there are people who are unhappy with what is going on and the destruction of the greenhouse because it is considered a historic building.

Under local ordinance, if a letter objecting to a planned demolition is received within 15 days of publication of the notice in a newspaper, then the Committee may decide to impose a delay period of up to 90 days. In this case, however, the Nature Centers notice was published Feb. 6, meaning the objection period expired Feb. 21four days before a New Canaan woman filed her letter, which was therefore rejected by Town Building Official Brian Platz.

Vollmer said the Committees review and opportunity to impose a delay should have been triggered.

Our job is basically to recognize this and to agree or not agree with the individual but not to have a chance to do this is very upsetting, he said at the meeting, held via videoconference. It is upsetting because that is what our purview is. So the fact that it was signed property is fine, but we did not have an opportunity to weigh in on it. And this is getting slipped into the cracks and is there no way to redeem or review this? Is there any way we can go back and what authority can we go to, to deal with it? We would like to see an opportunity for people in town to make a choice.

Platz noted that he is the enforcement agent for the Committee as well as the demolition delay ordinance, saying, It is my position that unless you can demonstrate to me a clear violation of the provisions of the ordinance, then you do not get a second bite at the apple.

Even so, the Committee voted 5-0 in favor of a motion made by Secretary Rose Rothbart that the signage at the Nature Center was not in compliance with the ordinance and requesting that additional signage be posted on Oenoke Ridge.

Platz said, I will not enforce that, and the following exchange ensued:

Rothbart: You wont enforce what the ordinance says?

Platz: I will enforce what the ordinance says. The ordinance doesnt say two signs. You can change the ordinance moving forward but you cant do that retroactively for this application.

Rothbart: But can we request that for the town?

Platz: You can request whatever you want, but I am not enforcing it.

In addition to Rothbart and Vollmer, those voting in favor of the motion included Chair Mark Markiewicz, Andrew Melillo and Marty Skrelunas.

Platz noted that even if the applicantin this case, the town itself, as the Nature Center is situated on town propertydid re-post demolition notices on Oenoke Ridge, that wouldnt trigger the opportunity for any delay period, because the objection period lapsed.

Committee members said they would recommend changes to the ordinance to the Town Council Bylaws & Ordinances Committee. Specifically, the Committee said it would seek to flesh out the definition of conspicuous in the ordinance and consider a requirement for on-street signs where the structures to be demolished are on interior lots.

The physical sign itself is one of three ways that residents are notified of an intention to demolish a structure, under local law. Notice must be published in a print newspaper, and those seeking formal notice of any such application may sign up to be notified by certified mail from the town.

Yet the Committee also said theres a problem with that form of notice. Specifically, Rothbart said that she didnt receive a notice by certified mail even though shes on the list.

Platz noted that what the local ordinance and State Demolition Code specifically require is confirmation that such notices are mailed, not proof of return receipt, as Rothbart described.

Certified mail is just a confirmation from the Post Office, he said. You do not have to sign for certified mail, that is return receipt.

Though the Committee voted unanimously in favor of the motion regarding a second sign, not every member agreed that the applicant in the case of the greenhouse had run afoul of the ordinance.

For example, when Rothbart said the sign on the greenhouse was the absolute opposite definition of conspicuous, Melillo noted that the language is meant to preempt an attempt to hide such a sign behind a tree or under vines (which this one wasnt), and that the ordinance says it must be visible from a public road or other accessway.

The sign was right in front of the building, he said, adding, Its not being purposely hidden.

Read the original:
'I Will Not Enforce That': Committee, Building Official at Odds Over Demolition Notice - New Canaanite

Chicago issued citations to a developer and general contractors after a botched smoke stack demolition blanketed a city neighborhood in dust in what the mayor called a "total failure."

Officials also revealed a series of protocol changes, noting the implosion was the first of its kind since 2005.

"There was no separate in-depth permitting process for implosions," Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said, calling news of the damage "utterly" and "completely unacceptable."

A total of 16 citations were issued Friday, including ones to developer Hilco Redevelopment Partners and general contractors MCM and CDI, for a total of $68,000 in fines.

While this situation is one that is extremely concerning even under normal circumstances, the current situation renders this error egregiously unacceptable," Chicago Department of Public Health Commission Dr. Allison Arwady said in a statement. "We will not rest until these developers are held accountable, and the department of public health will continue a robust investigation of the site and examination of all samples.

Hilco's CEO Roberto Perez apologized in a letter Thursday "for the anxiety and fear caused this past weekend" and said its demolition contract did not follow measures that were supposed to be taken to mitigate dust from the implosion.

"We take pride in our track record of exceeding expectations for all phases of our redevelopment projects and this unintended result is not acceptable," he wrote.

The city has placed a six-month moratorium on implosion demolitions with plans to create a specific permitting process "with increased safety guidelines."

"I wouldn't tolerate this in my neighborhood and we're not going to tolerate this in any other neighborhood in this city," Lightfoot said.

Several residents have started searching for answers after a demolition left a large cloud of dust in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood. NBC 5's Lexi Sutter reports.

On Saturday, Hilco Redevelopment Partners conducted a scheduled and previously approved implosion of a smoke stack at the now-closed Crawford Power Generating Station. The smoke stack was successfully imploded, but the demolition released a large plume of dust into the air, which then settled on homes, vehicles and businesses throughout Little Village.

Now facing questions about why the city permitted the implosion to move forward, Lightfoot previously said the company had been issued permits with the expectation that they would control dust at the site, but that they failed to do so.

We are working cooperatively with the City of Chicago to review [Saturday's] demolition event undertaken by our contractor," Hilco Redevelopment Partners CEO Roberto Perez said in a statement Sunday, adding, "We are sensitive to the concerns of the community and we will continue to work in full cooperation.

A group of residents of Chicago's Little Village neighborhood are looking into filing a lawsuit, their attorney says, following the Saturday demolition.

Attorney Frank Avila said Sunday that he will be representing seven clients, all Little Village residents, who were impacted by the demolition as they explore legal action.

Avila said he was "appalled" by the demolition, calling it "environmentally dangerous" and adding that those responsible needed to be held accountable.

The Chicago Department of Public Health said preliminary test results from both dust and air samples in the area following the implosion showed "there was no asbestos emitted from the stack implosion." There was also not detective "of particulate matter in the air," but testing is ongoing.

Since Saturday, the city said it has "taken multiple steps to hold the developer accountable and directed the developer to take swift action to clean and remediate the impacted area around the Crawford site." According to officials, the developer has agreed to the following:

We will continue to fully cooperate with the city of Chicago and will be implementing all of the remediation efforts that have been requested," Perez said in a statement. "The health, safety and welfare of the Little Village community is of paramount concern to us as we work toward completing this project.

Read the original:
Total Failure: City Issues Citations, Changes Protocol After Little Village Demolition - NBC Chicago

In as much as the timeliness for this entire exercise is wrong, I am sure and can bet with my very last pesewa that the AMA did not just wake up to demolish this area. The AMA under this current regime wouldn't be such callous and inhumane in doing this at this time. The Mayor appears too intelligent to do this.

Am sure that several eviction/demolishing notices and warnings would have been served those living there over a substantial period of time.

The rains are about setting in folks. Am sure the AMA is currently looking for some temporal place for them and this should happen as soon as possible. They shouldn't spend another night there like this. However, immediately the lockdown is lifted, they should be giving some stipends to relocate to their various regions.

Let's support the AMA to rid Accra of filth and prepare ACCRA for the AfCFTA (African Continental Free Trade Area). There will be too much visitors (Tourism and Business) and Accra got to be as READY AND PREPARED as never before!

Excerpts from the FINANCE MINISTER'S grandiose thought-provoking interview which has gain grounds not only in Ghana;

'' The world is changing. The German chancellor doesnt want to hear about debt-to-GDP ratios. Unthinkable stimulus packages are being announced, trumping orthodoxies and with no talk of a moral hazard: the G20 packages may end up close to $8b. Their generous tool kits are not available to us.

I am green with envy. To be honest, there is a lump in my throat as I think of Africas predicament. I question the unbalanced nature of the global architecture. I have, in one fell swoop, lost more than $1bn of revenue as domestic taxes continue to shrink, compounded by lost productivity and job losses. We still have an obligation to service our debt portfolio''.

Me: A One-Africa, A united Africa, A Free Trade Africa will release our Finance Ministers from sleepless nights in difficulties such as this. Let's create an Africa to become the envy of the West too! YES WE CAN!

SelasiAn Nkruhamist

More:
My Take on the AMA Old FADAMA demolition! - Modern Ghana

Early last week, if youd been cruising through the Mid-Wilshire area, you might have caught sight of a wrecking crew beginning to pry apart the Bing Theater at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. But chances are you didnt catch sight of it because Los Angeles has been under quarantine for almost a month.

In late March, the museum told Times reporter Deborah Vankin that it would proceed with its planned $750-million building project designed by Peter Zumthor and that demolition was scheduled to begin sometime in April. But surely it would have been nice er, transparent? to give Angelenos a heads-up that workers had actually begun tearing apart a county building that had been part of the citys landscape for more than half a century.

The museum didnt address the demolition in a fully public way until April 9, via a blog post on its website published three days after it had begun and two days after The Times had published a story on the subject. The post described the controversial building project as an important source of job creation.

A demolition crew works on removing the William Pereira-designed Bing Theater.

(Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)

All of this raises the question of where exactly things stand with the buildings design specifically plans for the interior, which have yet to be shown to the public. The museum has circulated conceptual renderings of what the gallery spaces may look like, but no final floor plan has been released.

In February, in a story I reported about concerns over the museums debt load, LACMAs director, Michael Govan, said the plans would be made public sometime in March. Now, he says, the release of those plans has been pushed back by the pandemic.

We have spent the last month 24/7 navigating the COVID-19 crisis, Govan stated in an email. Delayed for good reason, we are still working to finish our better presentation about the gallery designs that is more complete, including the curatorial perspectives that shaped the program.

He expects to be able to share more descriptive materials about how the galleries work within the next 4-6 weeks.

LACMA, like so many institutions around the world, has had day-to-day life overturned by the COVID-19 pandemic, shutting galleries and forcing staff to work remotely. Unlike many other institutions, the museum has not laid off any staff in the wake of the quarantine.

But the floor plans should never have been affected by coronavirus to begin with. The museum should have released them some semblance of them months ago.

Or how about a year ago, when a revised design was presented to the County Board of Supervisors for a crucial vote as part of the environmental impact approval process? The supes didnt seem all that preoccupied by the incomplete nature of the designs and rubber-stamped the plan, unanimously releasing $117.5 million in county funds for the project. They may have been distracted by Brad Pitt, whom LACMA took to the meeting as a celebrity booster.

When New Yorks Museum of Modern Art announced its renovation and expansion plan in 2014, it issued a set of simple schematics that showed how the new spaces would attach to the existing museum and which of these would be devoted to showing art. Three years later, as the renovation wrapped and construction of the new wing got rolling, the museum issued a more detailed plan that provided the particulars of circulation and the location of amenities.

LACMA a museum that draws anywhere from a fifth to a quarter of its annual budget from the taxpayers of the County of Los Angeles has provided no such information to the public. And in LACMAs case, the information is even more critical given the buildings unusual form and the fact that part of the intent of the design is to rethink the ways in which permanent collections are shown.

Govan stated via email that the Zumthor building will include 110,000 square feet of gallery space, a bigger and better version of Rays and Stark Bar, a gift shop, two loading docks, an education facility, a theater and two cafes. But how any of these might be configured within a building that is shaped like a moose antler is still a mystery.

What is certain is that neither the demolition nor the pandemic has put a damper on the activities of the two groups that have been actively protesting the construction plan: the nonprofit Save LACMA and the more ad hoc Citizens Brigade to Save LACMA.

Late last month, Save LACMA, led by nonprofit consultant Rob Hollman, filed the initial paperwork for a county ballot measure that could implement changes to the ways in which LACMA operates and the ways in which it might undertake construction projects in the future.

The initiative would:

If the county approves the submission, Hollman says his organization will get to work gathering signatures they will need 225,000 to get it on the November ballot. Though how signature collecting will be achieved in the age of social distancing remains to be seen.

Regardless, Hollman says his organization is charging ahead. I got a snarky email from a former [LACMA] board member saying that maybe I have too much time on my hands, he says. I actually dont. I have two kids at home and we have to teach them. My question is, why are they approving this?

An excavator demolishes the western facade of the Bing Theater.

(Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)

The more loosely organized Citizens Brigade, an informal organization spearheaded by architecture writers Greg Goldin and Joseph Giovannini, is moving forward with its own plans.

On the heels of the demolition reports, the Brigade launched a letter-writing campaign to the museums board with a variety of email templates that, like a restaurant menu, can be chosen by levels of hotness.

The mild template, which features a one chile pepper rating, urges board members: Stop the demolition now. Halt construction. Hold an international architectural competition to get a bigger and stronger not a smaller and weaker LACMA.

The on fire choice five chiles reads: Look in the mirror and live with the disgrace of knowing you cheated Angelenos out of the museum they loved.

They also launched a pop-up architectural competition to redesign LACMAs east campus. Proposals are due by midnight Wednesday.

We got 73 inquiries followed by intent to submit, Goldin stated by email.

In the meantime, LACMA is busy demolishing three structures designed by the firm of William Pereira in the 1960s, along with an addition by Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates from the 1980s.

A banner outside the LACMA demolition zone advertises the new Peter Zumthor-designed building.

(Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)

The Bing Theater was part of the suite of buildings designed by Pereira for the museums original campus in 1965. It was inaugurated by French composer Pierre Boulez, who premiered a new work for the occasion: "clat, a piece for 15 instruments that is inspired by ideas of resonance.

Over the course of its life, the Bing was the site of countless other classical music concerts, as well as artist talks and film screenings. In 2013, I saw a stirring presentation of Luis Buuels Los Olvidados in connection with an exhibition about Mexican cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa.

When word of the theaters demolition got out, filmmakers and aficionados rushed to pay tribute on social media. A great place to view the classics, wrote Joe Dante, who directed popular 80s pictures like Gremlins and The Burbs. Film critic Kenneth Turan, who retired from his post as Times film critic earlier this month, described it as one of the best of L.A. movie showcases.

On Monday morning, nothing appeared to remain of the Modernist, wood-paneled interior. All that was left was a shell being demolished by an excavator.

Part of what has been so frustrating about the LACMA design process are the questions that remain unanswered at this very late stage: Namely, what this container for art will actually contain.

Designs frequently evolve up to and even during construction bending to the reality of cost or building codes or the availability of materials. I am not unaware of this. But when it comes to LACMA, there has been nothing more on offer than faith in Zumthors vision.

We are now at the stage where theres a giant hole in the ground where the Bing Theater once stood. And the only thing filling it is a very large shrug: _()_/.

Read more here:
LACMA has begun demolition. Where are the gallery plans? - Los Angeles Times

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John Brodersen plans to demolish the "Herman Reel house" at 4640 N. Lake Drive. The house is one of four homes designated as historic by the Whitefish Bay Historic Preservation Commission.(Photo: Jeff Rumage/Now News Group)

One of four buildings on Whitefish Bay's historic registry will likely be demolished.

The village'sArchitectural Review Commission unanimously voted April 9 to issue a demolition permit to John Brodersen, who for the past 18 monthshas sought permission to tear down his house at 4640 N. Lake Drive.

The English Tudor Revival-style house, built in 1928, was added to the village's historic registry in 2007. The home was designedby architectRichard Philipp, who also designed the Holy Hill Monastery andThe American Club in Kohler.

The home needs $1.2 million in renovations, including the remediation of lead, asbestos and mold, as well as the installation of new wiring, plumbing and sewer laterals, according to consultant Rob Ruvin.

Brodersen has said he wantsto demolish the property and build a new house, similar to what he did with a house next door at 4646 N. Lake Drive. He paid $1.75 million for that house.

Whitefish Bay's zoning code states a demolition permit cannot be issuedfor a historic property unless the applicant has made good faith effortsfor at least 60 days to find a buyer who agrees to preserve, relocate or otherwise rehabilitate the historic building.

Brodersen first applied for the demolition permitin October 2018. The commission denied the permit in March 2019, ruling that he had notmade good faith effortsto sell the house to someone willing to restore or relocate the structure.

Brodersen appealed that ruling, but it was upheld by the Whitefish Bay Village Board.

In his first application for a demolition permit, Brodersen did not list the house for sale online, because he only wanted to sell the building and not the land. He also said he would sell the house for $1 to anyone who would pay for it to be relocated.

In preparing for a second permit application in August 2019, Brodersen listed his property for sale online. The property was marketed byFalk Ruvin Real Estate and listed on real estate websites.

The property was originally listed for $1.65 million, which is the price Brodersen paid in 2016. Brodersen reduced the price to $1.55 million July 3.

The house netted one offer for $800,000 from broker Bob Herzog. Herzog said he made the offer on behalf of Darin Early, who plans to move to the Milwaukee areafrom Providence, Rhode Island.

The commission denied Brodersen's second permit application in August 2019, saying the property was not professionally staged or photographed. Commissionersalso wanted comparable properties' sale data, to determine if a $1.55 million asking price was reasonable.

The following month, Brodersen hiredreal estate agent Suzanne Powers, who listed the property for $1.49 million. She later lowered the price to $1.39 million.

Powers said the house was professionally cleaned, and all the furniture was donated to Habitat for Humanity ReStores. Brodersen also paid to have the electrical and plumbing systems fixed.

Powers said she showed the house to 100 people during 12 open houses and 219 days on the market.

Powers said she didn't receive any new offers just Herzog's$800,000 offer from August. Powers said she requested a writtenoffer from Herzog three times, but she said she never received one.

Herzog sentan email to PowersFeb. 6 that explained why he thought the property was worth $800,000. In thatemail, he said hisclient would increase his offer to $1 million.

Two days before the commission was set to consider Brodersen's third demolition permit request, Herzog sent Powers a term sheet referencing a $1 million offer transmitted Feb. 6.

Herzog was not allowed to speak during the commission's video conference meeting April 9. In a later interview, Herzog said he would have prepared a written offer earlier if Powers had agreed to theinformal $1 million offer mentioned in his Feb. 6 email.

Herzog also said the more formal $1 million offer he sent two days before the meeting should have still been considered, as there was no offer deadline stipulated by the commission or the historic preservation ordinance.

Josh Levy, an attorney representing Brodersen, said Herzog's offer included a clause similar to a "solar easement" that would limit what Brodersen could do with his property next door at 4646 N. Lake Drive.

Its not a real, bonafide good faith offer," Levy said.

The commissionunanimously voted to award the demolition permit, but allowed a 15-day window for Brodersen to entertain any potential offers that might arise. The ruling did not require Brodersen to accept any of those offers.

Brodersen did not return an email asking when he planned to demolish the property.

ContactJeff Rumage at (262) 446-6616or jeff.rumage@jrn.com. Followhim on Twitter at @JeffRumage orFacebook atwww.facebook.com/northshorenow.

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Link:
This historic Whitefish Bay mansion will likely be demolished - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The Texas Observer has published a lengthy article on the planned demolition of the Alazn-Apache Courts, San Antonios oldest public housing project, as part of its "Gentrification of Texas" issue.

The piece by writer Gus Bova chronicles the development's significance in Mexican American culture and cautions that its destruction to make way for mixed-income housing will indelibly alter the historic near-downtown neighborhood where it's located.

Bova pulls no punches in his description of the West Side project but gives humanity to the people for whom it's a source of housing stability, including 36-year-old Kayla Miranda, who's called it home since 2017:

"Bouncing from friends couches to motels, Miranda began missing work as her sons school peppered her with calls about his increasingly frequent meltdowns. Disaster loomed. Then, after a year and a half on a waitlist, a space opened for her at one of San Antonios public housing projects in mid-2017.

'Its a safety net, thank God,' Miranda tells me when I visit her 80-year-old cinder block apartment complex in January. Its not an ideal place: The bedrooms scarcely fit a queen mattress, theres no central air, and the roaches are resilient. But Miranda, a mother of three who also cares for her 3-year-old nephew, pays only $168 a month in rent. And after two and a half years here, she feels connected to her neighbors. For her, its a home worth fighting for."

Some of the most affecting prose comes as Bova chronicles the history of the housing project, which was established in 1939:

"In her exuberant Spanglish, Blanquita Rodriguez, an 86-year-old ranchera singer with Las Tesoros de San Antonio tells me of her childhood at the courts. 'I grew up muy contenta; era muy bonito, mijo. It was like a big family,' she says, recalling the complexs large hedges and her days performing at the nearby Guadalupe Theater. 'I have a lot of beautiful memories, chatting on the porch. Nadie te molestaba. You needed a couple tortillas, you went and knocked on your neighbors door.'"

Last year, the Current and the San Antonio Heron collaborated on a lengthy analysis of gentrification's sweep across the West Side, including the scheduled demolition of the Alazn-Apache Courts.

Stay on top of San Antonio news and views. Sign up for our Weekly Headlines Newsletter.

Originally posted here:
Lengthy Texas Observer Story Digs Into the Pending Demolition of San Antonio's Alazn-Apache Courts - San Antonio Current

How can the demolition of a building be deemed essential?

WE live in times of increasing contradiction.

On the one hand sunbathing for people without gardens is frowned upon, even with social distancing, walking routes are closed to much of the population, spiritual wellbeing counts for nought.

On the other people are flying in to Heathrow without any health checks, those with mild symptoms are quarantined for seven days rather than the World Health Organisation-prescribed 14, and construction workers are exempt from the rules about non-essential work.

How can the demolition of a building in Clerkenwell, with no planning permission for its replacement, or work on the HS2 project, neither of which can be done without breaching social distancing rules, be deemed essential?

Delaying Crossrail will affect next years finances, but it has happened in the interests of public health.

HS2 is years away. Moreover, the government has just told HS2 Ltd that they can no longer be trusted with the Euston approach, having abandoned the scheme that was approved by parliament and failed to come up with a convincing replacement.

Why, then, are they even contemplating further work in the Euston area, regardless of Covid-19 restrictions?

The government cannot afford to drift until the prime ministers convalescence is complete. There must be a stop to all unnecessary construction and destruction work now.

ANDREW BOSI Wall Street, N1

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Put an end to all unnecessary demolition and construction work now - Camden New Journal newspapers website

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