It’s not that it wasn’t expected — it was.
However, the behemoth machine lumbering down a ramp off its trailer on D Street at First in Salida was almost a week ahead of schedule. Neighbors across the street hung out on their balconies, curious, to say the least.
Excavator prepares to offload from trailer in front of D Street Apartments at First and D in Salida on Aug. 1, 2023. Merrell Bergin photo
The flashing lights of an escort vehicle in front of the long-abandoned, infamous D Street Apartments caught the attention of Ark Valley Voice as dusk approached shortly after 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday night, August 1.
The apartment block and the adjoining apartments at 233 East First, now owned by the City of Salida are slated for demolition.
In partnership with Artspace, the city plans to turn the parcels into workforce and artist housing. A significant grant from the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) is funding pre-construction costs, such as asbestos abatement, demolition, and site preparation, among other prerequisites.
Phase 1 (asbestos abatement) began on July 24 with a crew, minor equipment, a water trailer, and what appeared to be an air compressor (to generate negative air pressures inside).
Phase 2 (demolition) was originally scheduled to start sometime next week, after the asbestos removal was certified as complete and tested as safe to proceed. But the massive equipment has arrived ahead of time.
A lucky break frees up the excavator to arrive in Salida sooner than planned
Ark Valley Voice reached David Ramsdale, Executive Vice President of JKS Industries in his Greenwood Village, Colo office on Wednesday afternoon. Ramsdale explained that the excavator would have been headed to another job in Lakewood, Colorado.
But schedule changes freed it up earlier and the standing order to truck it to Salida (which would have occurred after the Lakewood job) got unexpectedly “hot-shotted” by the logistics company. To the surprise of JKS, city staff, and the public, the machine got to Salida before it is actually needed (or allowed) to do any work. With its hefty weight and wide-load size, the demolition machine had to be fully escorted in transit.
A John Deere 470G LC Large Hydraulic Excavator has a 367 hp engine and weighs nearly 130,000 pounds. Merrell Bergin photo
Ramsdale quoted to AVV the entirety of an email sent to City of Salida officials that he wrote as soon as he knew the machine was en route Tuesday night. “I apologize in advance if the premature delivery of Demolition Equipment causes any angst,” he said.
He went on to outline the normal sequence of events for an abatement and demolition project like this. While several steps may be performed concurrently, he also said that notification of neighbors and city officials prior to major equipment moves or work steps is paramount in their work. JKS Industries has completed large demolition projects throughout the Front Range and Ramsdale acknowledged that such projects in smaller cities like Salida are not everyday occurrences.
“Rest assured every protocol and every requirement will be met before JKS commences with demolition activities,” said Ramsdale. “Additionally, I will be personally overseeing the transfer between Asbestos Abatement and the Demolition Phase, and be present for critical work to ensure compliance.”
In a lengthy telephone interview, Ramsdale detailed the typical process of building (and highway bridge) demolition projects as well as the state, county, and municipal safety protocols that are required for workers and neighboring residents.
“Ruben Domingo (Asbestos Abatement lead) and the entire team at JKS have been very responsive and great to work with,” said Salida City Administrator Christy Doon. “We look forward to a successful completion of this exciting project.”
AVV will continue to cover both the initial asbestos abatement phase as well as the heavy structural demolition of both apartment complexes in a story series that follows.
Plan for alternate routes and parking in the area
In the meantime, if readers’ travels include D Street between First and Second, or traversing the alley from D Street to E Street, you should plan on congestion or detours in the immediate area and consider alternate routes to the Post Office, Library and beyond, at least for the next few weeks. Other heavy equipment may soon follow and need to be staged in the area.
This D Street apartment project has been a long time coming. The two buildings have sat empty since 2017 when they were deemed uninhabitable by the Chaffee County Building Department and Salida Police Department. Removing them for new construction is a positive next step toward providing a significant amount of workforce housing within walking distance of the downtown Historic and Creative Districts.
Featured image: 65-ton excavator “walks” off its trailer to a staging area in front of 102-110 D Street in Salida. Merrell Bergin photo
Recent Comments