Council awards contracts for KD Station, museum
8:30 PM
By Lynn Zerschling Journal staff writer | Posted: Monday, June 18, 2007
Asbestos -- the fibrous mineral once used for insulation and other building materials and a known carcinogen-- must be removed from the KD Station and the former JCPenney building in Sioux City.
On Monday, the City Council took steps to rid the buildings of that material. The council awarded a contract to Howard R. Green of Sioux City for $35,400 to conduct an asbestos survey at KD Station and awarded a contract to ESA Inc. of North Sioux City for $45,500 to remove asbestos in the museum portion of the former department store.
The material has to be taken out before KD Station can be razed. The former Swift & Co. packing plant at 2001 Leech Ave. that later became home to a number of stores and businesses has been declared unfit for occupancy. It was further damaged as a result of a Dec 27 arson fire.
The former department store building at 607 Fourth St., also now owned by the city, will be the new home of the Sioux City Public Museum and the Northwest Airlines reservation center.
"It seems you are spending time and money on a building that will come down," Mayor Craig Berenstein said of KD Station.
He noted the city must provide a study on the historic nature of the building before it can be demolished.
"We have a lot of that information already completed," Michelle Brady, economic development specialist for the city, explained.
City Manager Paul Eckert added, "It is tied into receiving federal funds."
The city is lobbying to obtain more federal and state funds to help pay for the estimated $5 million demolition bill. Brady and Eckert noted the cost of the demolition hinges on how much asbestos is found inside the building. The more asbestos, the higher the cost.
"Because of its size, we're having interest from companies around the country" interested in the demolition project.
Depending upon what Howard R. Green reports on the asbestos, Jeff Hansen, planning and neighborhood services division manager, said, "If we can do implosion, it may bring the costs down."
Regarding the new Museum Plaza building, Scott Flynn, a mechanical engineer who is serving as the project manager, told the council ESA will begin removing asbestos as soon as possible so the contractor for Northwest Airlines can begin its asbestos removal work in early July.
Plans call for the reservation center to be on the second floor of the building this fall. The museum plans to move into the first floor in 2009 after backers conduct a fundraising campaign to help pay for the renovation work and installation of exhibits..
On Monday, the City Council took steps to rid the buildings of that material. The council awarded a contract to Howard R. Green of Sioux City for $35,400 to conduct an asbestos survey at KD Station and awarded a contract to ESA Inc. of North Sioux City for $45,500 to remove asbestos in the museum portion of the former department store.
The material has to be taken out before KD Station can be razed. The former Swift & Co. packing plant at 2001 Leech Ave. that later became home to a number of stores and businesses has been declared unfit for occupancy. It was further damaged as a result of a Dec 27 arson fire.
The former department store building at 607 Fourth St., also now owned by the city, will be the new home of the Sioux City Public Museum and the Northwest Airlines reservation center.
"It seems you are spending time and money on a building that will come down," Mayor Craig Berenstein said of KD Station.
He noted the city must provide a study on the historic nature of the building before it can be demolished.
"We have a lot of that information already completed," Michelle Brady, economic development specialist for the city, explained.
City Manager Paul Eckert added, "It is tied into receiving federal funds."
The city is lobbying to obtain more federal and state funds to help pay for the estimated $5 million demolition bill. Brady and Eckert noted the cost of the demolition hinges on how much asbestos is found inside the building. The more asbestos, the higher the cost.
"Because of its size, we're having interest from companies around the country" interested in the demolition project.
Depending upon what Howard R. Green reports on the asbestos, Jeff Hansen, planning and neighborhood services division manager, said, "If we can do implosion, it may bring the costs down."
Regarding the new Museum Plaza building, Scott Flynn, a mechanical engineer who is serving as the project manager, told the council ESA will begin removing asbestos as soon as possible so the contractor for Northwest Airlines can begin its asbestos removal work in early July.
Plans call for the reservation center to be on the second floor of the building this fall. The museum plans to move into the first floor in 2009 after backers conduct a fundraising campaign to help pay for the renovation work and installation of exhibits..
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adam wrote on Jun 19, 2007 8:21 AM: