The City of Owensboro is another step closer to the demolition of Gabe’s Tower.
23 proposals have been received for the demolition project, and City staff are reviewing those proposals right now to go over the feasibility, expense and time frame for each.
The proposals contain a variety of demolition methods, including long-reach excavation, a wrecking ball and implosion.
Assistant City Manager Lelan Hancock said the committee overseeing the project will look closely at, not just the costs proposed by each contractor, but their predicted time frame as well.
While Hancock can’t reveal how much these contractors are proposing price-wise at this time, the City has already set aside $600,000 to go toward the Gabe’s Tower demolition. Whether that’s enough to cover the entire project will be determined once a proposal is selected.
“I’m pretty pleased with the pricing we’ve received,” Hancock said.
The committee will meet next week to discuss the 23 proposals and select a contractor for the project, Hancock added.
“We’ll finish the proposal reviews this week and meet next week to determine which is best,” he said. “Then we will present a presentation to the City manager.”
Long-reach excavation would involve using an excavator’s extended front arm to reach the entire height of the building — 13 stories — to crunch the concrete up and cut through the steel. Chunks will fall to the ground and contractors can bust those chunks up on-site, Hancock said.
Those chunks can be hauled off or broken down into a gravel-like substance that can be recycled for other uses, as can the steel. Each contractor that proposed a long-reach excavation method detailed different plans for the materials.
Hancock compared the implosion method to the Executive Inn’s demolition over a decade ago, saying the process would be very similar.
The wrecking ball method would also implement excavation, but would start with the wrecking ball being dropped onto the building to knock the tower down to its eighth or ninth floor, Hancock said. Then, contractors would begin the excavation process.
And though there are still those upset about the demolition of Gabe’s Tower, Hancock said that, in the end, the decision to demolish was based on difficulties with the site and the building itself.
“It’s been a long road to get to this point,” he said. “After the lot is leveled, we will work to sell that lot and get whatever goes there back on the tax roll.”
