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How Towers Are Demolished With Geneva Towers now slated for demolition in less than a year, Visitacion Valley residents are currently circulating petitions asking their preference of either a wrecking ball or implosion to bring down the twin 20-story highrises. Neighbors have until Aug. 23 to make a decision, after which necessary permits will be acquired. Armed with a large aerial photograph of Visitacion Valley used to illustrate various perimeters and identify residents' homes, representatives from both Aman Environmental Construction, Inc. and Controlled Demolition Incorporated (CDI) spoke July 15 at the second Steering Committee Meeting handling community outreach for Geneva Towers. Both Rich Riggs, operations manager with Aman and James Santoro, project manager with CDI detailed the various phases of preparation before a building is readied for implosion. Riggs described a wrecking ball as a demolition method of the past, a tedious undertaking with a crane repeatedly hurling a large ball at a target and trying to hit a specific spot repeatedly to make it collapse. He explained that demolishing both towers in this fashion could take as long as eight to 10 months, as compared to the one morning required to implode both buildings. Santoro attributed his company's impressive longevity and success rate in imploding buildings worldwide to detailed preparation and covering all aspects of safety. He explained how a building is prepared for demolition: first by stripping its interior and severing areas that might cause resistance, before strategically planting explosives at the correct structural supports so a building will properly collapse once the charges are detonated. Gravity and weight, said Santoro, are important factors in making a building fall downward. Many examples were witnessed as those in attendance watched a breathtaking video of various buildings being demolished by implosion with adjoining structures as close as 10 feet away surviving virtually unscathed. Santoro also explained that problems associated with recently publicized implosions were mostly due to a lack of preparation or not enough experience in building demolition. See following two stories.
Common Questions and Answers on Implosion Answered by Controlled Demolition, Inc. Q: How long will an implosion take? Will we feel it? A: The actual implosion will last less than 15 seconds. The Loizeaux Family and Controlled Demolition, Inc. (CDI) will have placed literally thousands of very small demolition charges (usually weighing a few ounces each) at critical locations in the structural framework of each of the two high-rise buildings. Those charges will be detonated over a 6 to 7 seconds interval, and it will take another 6 to 7 seconds for the building to fall in a completely controlled fashion. As to "feeling it," it's amazing how sensitive the human body is! Whether or not you feel it will be a function of where you are at the time of implosion. During the implosion, at least three (3) of your senses are stimulated: 1. Vision: watching the structure crumble
and fall to the earth.
If you are in an area just outside the security perimeter, there is a chance you will be aware of air-blast (noise) generated as the charges are detonated. This is a pulse-like sensation you may feel in your chest, much like standing next to a loudspeaker or underneath a heavy thunderstorm. The vibration which many people claim to feel is not actually vibration created from falling debris, but from this air-blast. This sensation is enhanced by the noise you hear simultaneously with your visual perception of the building collapsing. The actual ground vibration caused is imperceptible. In fact, studies have shown that the ground vibration caused by a passing truck on the road is greater than that generated by an implosion. Each of these sensations are very minimal individually; however, the combination of all three (3) can seem more powerful. Q: What is the blast perimeter? A: We won't have the answer to this question until after we make a detailed field structural survey of the two buildings to be imploded to compare the design plans to actual on site conditions. Then, through a carefully, controlled, step-by-step process, we will determine the area which has to be cleared to absolutely guarantee the safety of all employees and residents. Based on prior experience, I would say that a 600 to 700-foot radius will be cleared around the buildings to ensure absolute control of the safety perimeter during the actual detonation of the demolition charges. In our history of public housing implosion, we have never had any kind of problem as respects to the injury of bystanders. Q: Will the dust affect my breathing? My asthma? A: We are always aware of and concerned with the impact of dust on residents who might have respiratory problems. First and foremost, we try to see that these residents are put in a position upwind during the implosion. In other words, if the wind is blowing out of the east to the west, we would like you to be on the east side of the structure, so that the dust blows away from you. If you are in an area where you do not have to evacuate your structure, it is usually more than adequate to close windows and doors to keep dust out. If there is any question about the effect of masonry dust on your specific respiratory ailment, you should consult your physician accordingly. Q: Will I need to board up my windows? Will windows break? A: We do not anticipate any damage to windows as a result of CDI's operations No special effort will need to be made on the part of any resident or shop owner adjacent to the site. If CDI does elect to place any protection on adjacent properties, it will be erected and removed by CDI at CDI's expense. Q: Who will pay for damages should there be any? A: Damage to adjacent structures is highly unlikely. If it were demonstrated that damage to a structure was, in fact, the direct and immediate result of the implosion, CDI would pay to have such damage repaired. A detailed survey will be conducted and photographs will be taken of adjacent properties prior to, and immediately following the implosion. These two inspections will promptly identify any problems which may have been caused by the implosion. We expect no damage, but feel these pre and post implosion inspections are warranted. Q: Will the implosion affect other utilities, gas lines, water lines, electrical services, during and after the implosion? A: No. There will be no adverse affect on any of these utility services as a result of implosion operations. Q: How successful is CDI in doing implosions? A: Implosion technology was founded by Jack Loizeaux, father of Mark and Doug Loizeaux who currently operate CDI internationally. Starting in the 1950s, Jack began taking down buildings with explosives in a very controlled fashion. He received numerous international awards for his innovative technology. The work of Jack, Mark and Doug has been called "The Art of Demolition" by well-respected industry leaders worldwide. CDI has taken down literally thousands of structures on all six continents. They have taken down structures as tall as 31 stories and as large as 10 million cubic feet in a single implosion sequence. CDI's track record is virtually perfect, without any record of injury to workmen or to the public during implosion operations. CDI is accustomed to working in highly congested urban areas including public housing facilities in this country, France and England. CDI's safety and success records are unparalleled in the industry. Q: What type of device is being used? A: CDI will be using very small demolition charges, placed inside holes which will be drilled into the support columns of each structure on several floors. These small charges will be set off by detonators which have individual internal timing controls. Once the button is pushed, all the charges will detonate at an interval predetermined by CDI's demolition plan. The detonators will be controlled from a command post which will be set up several hundred feet from the buildings themselves. Q: What will happen the day of the implosion? Will I be evacuated? For how long? A: Evacuation of residents is something that we try to avoid, so long as we can guarantee their absolute safety. In the event that you live in an area which CDI determines to be vacated it will be for a very short period of time. The security perimeter as ground level will be closed down for 2-1/2 to 3 hours prior to the scheduled implosion time. Care will then be taken to see that any persons who have to be temporarily vacated are out of their dwellings. The relocation of these persons will be for as limited period of time as possible and an appropriate location will be selected for their comfort during the brief inconvenience. If you were that person, you would probably have to leave an hour before the implosion, and would be able to re-enter your home within one-half hour following the implosion. Q: How will the implosion affect the nearby homes within the development and/or surrounding streets? A: The most obvious impact will be the fact that the area will be temporarily cleared within the safety perimeter during the implosion. We will ask residents and shop owners within that vicinity to close their windows, turn off air conditioning units or other air intakes, place plastic sheeting over louvers or vents in their buildings and take other general precautions to ensure that dust doesn't enter their structures. Dust is the main byproduct of all types of demolition which affects adjacent properties. Noise and vibration levels will be below those as limited by law and will be well below levels that would cause any type of damage, even to older, and possibly poorly maintained structures. Q: How far will the dust travel? A: First of all, it's important to point out that the same quantity of dust will be created by the implosion as would be the case by demolition. The advantage of implosion is that the dust is created at one time and at a predetermined time. In other words, we can all plan for the dust and deal with it accordingly. The distance the dust travels is entirely
contingent on the direction and speed of the wind at that time. If it were
an absolutely still day, the dust wouldn't go more than one-half block.
On a windy day, the dust can travel much farther. Most of the heavy dust
particles fall out of the air within a few hundred feet, while finer particles
can travel a greater distance.
How Implosion Would Affect the Valley Following are questions asked July 3 by Ralph Oroquita of the Little Hollywood Committee about the possible implosion of Geneva Towers in 1998. Questions were answered by Rich Riggs, operations manager of Aman Environmental Construction, Inc. Q: What would be the calculated dust pattern that will be generated? A dust cloud could rise several stories high as the building comes down. What is the height ratio to radius of the expected dust cloud? A: Following implosion, dust will accumulate on the ground within 75 to 125 feet around the base of each structure. This can change depending on weather and wind conditions at the time of the demolition. This dust is comprised of heavy particulate and cannot remain airborne for a long period. A dust cloud comprised of finer particulate will rise up and away from the structures following the direction of the wind. Typically, this dust will rise above three-story structures by the time it has traveled 200 to 250 feet. Q: Who will be responsible for cleanup and protection of rooftop skylights and air conditioners, the interior of homes, yards, streets, automobiles, gardens and ponds? A: Due to the nature of the dust that comes from an implosion, those properties needing cleanup will fall within the first 150 feet of the base of the buildings. As long as there is cooperation from the community, there will be no dust to be cleaned on the interiors of structures, nor will it affect air conditioning units as long as they are off during the implosion. There may be properties very close to the site that would require additional protection from dust (typically 125 feet +/-). The Contractor, after talking to the property owners, would determine what is necessary and is responsible for protection. In addition, it is the Contractor who will be cleaning streets and sidewalks and clearing up noticeable dust accumulation from horizontal surfaces surrounding the site. We trust, and it has been our consistent experience, that everyone is anxious to cooperate, and is fair and reasonable. Q: What is the chemical composition of the concrete that will form the airborne dust? Additives such as asbestos and hardeners can cause serious health problems. A: This will be a "clean building." Asbestos is currently being removed under separate contract. In simple terms, concrete is a composition of cement and sand. Q: How large a cleanup crew will be used and how many man-hours will be allotted for community cleanup? A: After implosion, power sweepers will vacuum dust from the surrounding streets. A labor crew of approximately 10 men will support the vacuum trucks. It is expected to take approximately 3 to 4 hours to completely clean the immediate surrounding area. Q: Will the heavier particles have an effect on the sewer system if they are washed into the storm drains? A: As previously noted, the dust is vacuumed into trucks and, therefore, does not enter storm drains. However, it is common practice to protect storm drains by enclosing them in filter fabric and straw bales for the implosion event. Q: What will be the time schedule for the removal of the concrete and steel debris? A: Working hours are 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Duration of offhaul for implosion is approximately 2 months, weather permitting. For wrecking ball method, the duration would be ongoing over 6 to 8 months. Q: What is the estimated number of dump truck trips to haul all the demolition debris out of the building site? What street routes through Visitacion Valley will be used for the disposal traffic? Will the disposal traffic route go through the Little Hollywood community? Where will the demolition debris be disposed? A: It will take approximately 5,000 dump truck trips to haul debris out of the building site. The recycle site is yet to be determined. However, the sites being contemplated are all accessed by the 101 Freeway. The truck route to the freeway would be Sunnydale to Geneva to 101 North or 101 South. There are two recycle sites at the Candlestick exit from 101. Q: What will the seismic shock waves that will be created as the building impacts the ground do to the utility services: gas, water, electrical and sewer lines? What is the seismic stability of the area surrounding Geneva Towers? A: An implosion does not trigger a seismic event. There are air vibrations from the noise, but there would be insufficient sub-surface movement to get a reading on a Richter Scale. Q: What is the age of the subterranean infrastructure in the surrounding area? A: Infrastructure such as sewer lines
will be video-surveyed before and after demolition. This is a requirement
of the City of San Francisco.
Child Care Center Could
by Gerry L. Galvan A local day care center has become a pet project of the Mayor's Office, which is reportedly pushing very hard to get a portion of property the City had allocated in 1996 to John King Senior Housing (JKSH) for more than 90 new units of senior housing. Adjacent to Visitacion Valley Middle School, the five acre site currently houses Dr. Betty Hartman's Early Years Academy, a private business enterprise with a limited lease set to expire at the end of 1999. The JKSH board of directors, Shortly after ownership and title to the property at 500 Raymond Ave. had been transferred to the project by a Board of Supervisors vote, the JKSH board of directors wanted to evict Early Years. Somewhere along lines of three collaborating construction and development partners, John King Senior Center, Mercy Charities Housing (MCH) and the Housing Conservation and Development Corporation (HCDC) have seemingly agreed to allow Early Years to continue operation within the five acre property. An architectural drawing presented to
the JKSH administrative board on June 11 shows a child center as a definite
entity in the new construction once the current building is demolished.
But during a JKSH administrative board meeting July 9, your reporter tried to ask the question of whether or not the group--namely John King, Dara Kovel, Meea Kang, Kenneth Collins and La Vergne Keppard--was in favor of a child care center within the property. At this juncture, MCH housing developer Dara Kovel, who since the beginning has presided over most meetings, stopped your reporter and served notice that newspapermen and other news representatives should never come to JKSH administrative board meetings. "These are private discussions which the public has no business getting involved in," she angrily said. As a journalistic code of resourcefulness and fair play, the Grapevine made several attempts to talk to Hartman. At least four telephone calls were made to the Early Years answering machine After the fourth attempt, Hartman called and left word that should I "be persistent in calling" their telephone number, I might be able to talk to her. I made a fifth attempt. Their recording machine was off. I made a sixth and seventh. Still the machine was off. On July 23, I went up to the building and made my presence known by hollering, "Hello! Hello! Anybody home?" A woman identifying herself as Mrs. Carinio emerged from her classroom, and she and I talked, after which I left my calling card and home phone number. But up to this writing, I haven't made meaningful contact with anyone at Early Years Academy. A phone call to City Hall to confirm
direct involvement of the Mayor's Office with the Raymond Avenue project
found two receptionists polite in talking to me, but providing little information.
Norcal Considers Waste Plant Relocation With its Environmental Review application for a proposed Recycling and Solid Waste System Plan project at the facility on Tunnel Avenue officially withdrawn June 25, Norcal is now turning its attention to Pier 80 to satisfy expansion needs. The City's garbage company has been granted an option awaiting approval by the Port of San Francisco to put a $32 million recycling center on 12 acres at the pier near Islais Creek with up to 80 percent of Norcal's recycling operations taking place there. Plans call for the new facility to share Shed A with a proposed Home Depot, a heavy-duty hardware store, but opposition by nearby merchants may see the recycling program taking over the entire building. Neighbors of the Norcal facility on Tunnel Avenue, especially those residents bordering the plant's property in Little Hollywood, have been angered with day-to-day operations of the garbage company right behind their homes. A Local Assessment Committee formed to assess the possible expansion of the Tunnel Avenue site was disbanded in May, 1996. Subsequent meetings of a group called the Forum with a facilitator proved ineffective when most local residents refused to participate. Residents of both Little Hollywood and Visitacion Valley also took part in several volatile meetings, loudly voicing their concerns of the waste plant's negative aspects. Virtually all said they resented having a large garbage complex so close to their neighborhoods. Valley Merchants Can Get Loans from City Members of Visitacion Valley's business community met with a City representative July 12 in an initial meeting to discuss improvements to the neighborhood's main business thoroughfare. With more than a dozen business spaces currently vacant along Leland Avenue and Bayshore Boulevard, the Mayor's Office of Community Development (MOCD) expressed interest in maintaining the Visitacion Valley Merchant's Association while offering both prospective and established local businesspeople loans through the Business and Economic Development Loan Fund. Loan applicants must be for-profit concerns that are located, or locating in San Francisco; are not able to secure all, or a portion of the project financing from established lending institutions; and have an average credit history or demonstrated commitment to pay debt. Applicants must be located in or provide products or services to a low and moderate income neighborhood. Because funds originate from the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, HUD requires a job-to-loan ratio of one full-time position for every $35,000 in loan support. Interest is calculated at one percent over the prime rate. One local merchant described the Valley's need of clothing, hardware and variety stores, and suggested the successful attraction of a mid-sized chain to the area might act as a magnet to draw other businesses. Tree planting was also discussed as a method for beautifying the Valley's business area. A cluster of five storefronts are currently vacant on the south side of Leland Avenue between Bayshore and Desmond Street. Three adjoining stores are also vacant on Bayshore near Visitacion Avenue. All loan applications must be sponsored by a City-funded economic development organization. For more information, call the Community Outreach and Pre-Enterprise (COPE) project at 775-8880. For general questions and loan referral,
contact MOCD at 252-3100.
Petition to Save Coffman Senior Swim Instructor More than 75 signatures have been gathered on a local petition in support of Bart Ribotta, popular senior swimming instructor at Coffman Pool, to keep him from being replaced. Attendance at the public pool at Visitacion
Avenue and Hahn Street has increased by 4,000 in one year alone during
Ribotta's tenure. Several residents agreed the proposed move would shake
the neighborhood's confidence in Rec and Park. One person, when told of
the news, responded, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"
Student Sets Sights on College and Beyond Having been valedictorian of her graduating class at Herbert Hoover Middle School, former Visitacion Valley Elementary School student Tiffany K. Ng attributes her academic success to hard study and strong motivation. Plenty of practice has also improved her public speaking skills. "Being valedictorian was a great honor for me," said Tiffany, "and it made me realize that if one set's one's mind on a goal and works hard enough, one can achieve almost anything. Receiving such recognition has motivated me to work hard in high school as well. I'm sure there are many talented students who have graduated this year from Visitaicon Valley who will go on to work hard and succeed in middle school and beyond." Soon to attend Mercy High School, Tiffany aspires to become either an astronomer or astronaut, and is interested in the sciences of physics and astronomy, as well as enjoying music. "I plan to work and study extra hard
in high school and college," said Tiffany, "because these are the years
that will largely determine how well I'll do for the rest of my life. Perhaps
with enough hard work, I can become veledictorian of the class of the new
millenium and maybe be in the newspaper again. Now there's something to
plan for!"
Online Search Finds Rare Books by Gerry L. Galvan Modern technology is truly wonderful. It brings immediate results unheard of centuries, decades, or several years ago. To cap it all, it costs considerably less than what one would normally pay for a similar job or product. The Internet, of which I've had very little, if any expertise, is a case in point. For a small sum of money, one can go online and enjoy the benefits of an awesome network of information which is impossible to acquire through conventional methods of search and research. By punching the right key, one is offered the last detail the information one needs. Should one be in dire need of a rare book? Use the Internet. How about transportation during one's trip to an isolated town in South Dakota? Avail of the wonders of the Internet. In need of a 1929 automobile axle? Internet is an answer. Going online can also search for a bride or bridegroom. The system is limitless in possibilities. Your reporter was in need of the complete 8-volume set Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer's Systematic Theology. Attention was directed to Grapevine office where an online search was initiated. Four days later, I got a call from a book search firm in Denver. Although truly expensive, my 8-volume set of Dr. Chafer's books were delivered to my doorstep less than three weeks after consummation of the business transaction. GUEST SERMON
McLAREN PARK FRIENDS
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