| Spectators: 'Sad to see 1515 blown up' but 'awesome' demolition went too fast. |
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By ANDREW ABRAMSON - Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Sunday, Feb. 14, 2010 The 1515 S. Flagler Drive tower is no more. It came down in a cloud of dust in less than 10 seconds at about 9:05 this morning. The city of West Palm and General Contractor The BG Group officials were pleased with the lack of damage and with the implosion overall. "It was beautiful," said Lisa Kelly, President of Advanced Explosives Demolition. "You couldn't ask for anything better. I'm crying. I'm getting too old for this. So sweet." She and her husband, Eric, then kissed and embraced for about 20 seconds. Eric Kelly, Blaster and patriarch for the Idaho company, said preliminary results showed the vibration from the explosion was 0.15 on the Richter scale, which he said was phenomenal as he had believed it would be 0.25. "I was nervous," he said. "There's all these people, all this liability, and it all culminates in the last minute. But it was perfect. Everything's perfect." The explosions, 138 decibels loud, left debris 42 feet high, also "perfect" as it was less than the 50-foot maximum the developer wanted. The demolition went off a few minutes later than expected because an intruder pretending to be with a television crew came too close to the demolition site immediately before the scheduled detonation. He had to be removed. Police sirens wailed twice in the moments before the explosion, warning people of the impending event. Then, three explosions sounded — boom, boom, boom. Next, smoke curled upward from three different floor spread across the middle portion of the building, and it started collapsing, with the east side falling first, and the west side then falling in on the east, much of it hidden in the cloud of dust and debris. That cloud drifted east over Palm Beach but appeared to dissipate within minutes. [Unfortunately, this Palm Beach area resident was out of town for the implosion, but saw it on our local news when I returned home. Congratulations on a job well and beautufully done! The implosion was a fantastic and impressive feat, confining the pile of rubble from such a tall structure to a small area. You guys bring a whole new meaning to the word "professional." And to the girls behind the operation (both of them, the big one and the little one) YOU ROCK! J Continued success and God bless! Denise Palm Beach Gardens, FL] More at: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/spectators-sad-to-see-1515-blown-up-but-237830.html |
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Bechtel Hanford, Inc. was highly pleased... "Bechtel Hanford, Inc. (BHI) was highly pleased with your company and its ability to complete the 190-D facility demolition in September of 1995. Your efforts reflected a professional desire to complete the project ahead of schedule and on budget. In addition, you were able to successfully coordinate your work with multiple companies and projects in progress in the area, which allowed for the success of not only the project you were working on, but other projects in the area as well. Bechtel Hanford, Inc. looks forward to working with your company on future projects." B. K. Gifford Bechtel Hanford |