Removal of asbestos pile at Livestock Exchange begins
By Lynn Zerschling Journal staff writer | Posted: Thursday, April 17, 2008
SIOUX CITY -- Water poured on the asbestos-containing debris pile in the stockyards Wednesday as a construction crew prepared to remove the pile.
In December the City Council awarded a contract to a Michigan firm to remove the pile, which was held under a large tarp that was held in place by 1,000 tires. The contractor will remove the tires, along with the debris.
The pile was left on the site at 701 Cunningham Drive by another contractor the building's owner had hired to demolish what was left of the Livestock Exchange Building, a longtime fixture in the Sioux City Stockyards.
The building was heavily damaged in a May 1998 fire that destroyed the original 1894 portion of the building, leaving only the 1915 Livestock National Bank portion standing.
When the Exchange Building caught fire, it brought to an end another tie to one of the community's largest employers.
In 2002 the city bought the bank building, hoping it could be given new life as home for another business. However, restoration costs apparently exceeded even its historical value in a sluggish economy. At the time of the fire, 38 businesses held space in the building.
Four terra cotta steers' heads and four floral panels that adorned the outside of the Livestock Exchange Building were saved and installed on the Roth Fountain on Historic Fourth Street.
Dore & Associates Contracting Inc., of Bay City, Mich., has started preliminary work on the project and should have all the debris removed by April 30.
Last December, the City Council awarded Dore & Associates the contract for $269,550. The original bid estimate placed the removal cost as high as $500,000. In February, the council awarded a $26,300 contract to the consulting firm Howard R. Green, Sioux City, to provide construction oversight. The contractor has to follow Environmental Protection Agency rules to remove and dispose of the asbestos.
In 2004 workers removing the building's footings found covered debris from the 1998 demolition. Tests confirmed that the debris contained asbestos. The pile has been covered and fenced since 2004.
Last year, the city negotiated a $7,500 settlement with an insurance company involved in the original demolition. That company had provided the construction bond for an excavation company that removed the fire-damaged portion of the building. The city sued that company and Canal Capital Corporation of Hauppague, N.Y., which owned the Livestock Exchange Building at the time. Canal hired that contractor, which no longer is in business. Canal had required the contractor to carry a $10,000 bond.
In December the City Council awarded a contract to a Michigan firm to remove the pile, which was held under a large tarp that was held in place by 1,000 tires. The contractor will remove the tires, along with the debris.
The pile was left on the site at 701 Cunningham Drive by another contractor the building's owner had hired to demolish what was left of the Livestock Exchange Building, a longtime fixture in the Sioux City Stockyards.
The building was heavily damaged in a May 1998 fire that destroyed the original 1894 portion of the building, leaving only the 1915 Livestock National Bank portion standing.
When the Exchange Building caught fire, it brought to an end another tie to one of the community's largest employers.
In 2002 the city bought the bank building, hoping it could be given new life as home for another business. However, restoration costs apparently exceeded even its historical value in a sluggish economy. At the time of the fire, 38 businesses held space in the building.
Four terra cotta steers' heads and four floral panels that adorned the outside of the Livestock Exchange Building were saved and installed on the Roth Fountain on Historic Fourth Street.
Dore & Associates Contracting Inc., of Bay City, Mich., has started preliminary work on the project and should have all the debris removed by April 30.
Last December, the City Council awarded Dore & Associates the contract for $269,550. The original bid estimate placed the removal cost as high as $500,000. In February, the council awarded a $26,300 contract to the consulting firm Howard R. Green, Sioux City, to provide construction oversight. The contractor has to follow Environmental Protection Agency rules to remove and dispose of the asbestos.
In 2004 workers removing the building's footings found covered debris from the 1998 demolition. Tests confirmed that the debris contained asbestos. The pile has been covered and fenced since 2004.
Last year, the city negotiated a $7,500 settlement with an insurance company involved in the original demolition. That company had provided the construction bond for an excavation company that removed the fire-damaged portion of the building. The city sued that company and Canal Capital Corporation of Hauppague, N.Y., which owned the Livestock Exchange Building at the time. Canal hired that contractor, which no longer is in business. Canal had required the contractor to carry a $10,000 bond.
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