South Padre Island officials told Action 4 News that they are receiving a lot of questions regarding the mid-November demolition of the Ocean Tower.
The large number of questions have prompted town officials to create a question and answer section on their website about the demolition.
Concerned residents and Island visitors are encouraged to submit their any new questions through the website.
Ocean Tower Community FAQ
Who is CDI?
Ocean Tower, LP has hired Controlled Demolition, Inc. (CDI), one of the nation’s premier demolition firms, to demolish the tower through implosion with as little impact on the local community as possible. CDI has safely demolished thousands of structures worldwide, including the Seattle Kingdome, the Stardust Hotel in Las Vegas and the RCA Dome in Indianapolis.
How will the building be demolished?
CDI has determined to demolish Ocean Tower through controlled implosion. Conventional demolition techniques often take weeks or months, causing disruptions to local businesses and services. The implosion of Ocean Tower will occur quickly and will cause minimum disruptions for the citizens of South Padre Island.
Is implosion safe?
CDI has an unparalleled safety and success record with no injury to workmen or to the public during implosion operations. CDI uses the smallest quantity of explosives needed to safely demolish the building. The demolition process, however, is insured to cover any damages in the unlikely event that they should occur as a result of the implosion.
Is my property safe?
Protective curtains and / or a chain‐link fence will be securely placed on lower floors to act as a fail‐safe to ensure debris does not leave the structure perimeter.
Will the implosion be loud?
CDI’s demolition of concrete structures usually results in noise levels in the range of 120 to 135 decibels. These noise levels will last only a brief period of time (less than eight seconds), and since no one is allowed anywhere near the building during the implosion, these noise levels will not affect the hearing of observers.
Will I feel the ground shake?
CDI has designed the Ocean Tower implosion to control the amount and frequency of vibration to be generated. With implosion, those just outside the security perimeter may experience a pulse‐like sensation from the air blast generated during detonation. This sensation is enhanced by the noise bystanders may hear simultaneously with seeing the building collapse. The actual resulting ground vibration is hardly noticeable. An independent engineering firm will perform pre and post‐demolition surveys of adjacent properties and improvements to remain and will monitor vibration and air overpressure generated during the actual implosion.
What about the dust?
According to the NOAA National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C., prevailing winds in South Padre Island generally come out of the south / southeast during November. It is anticipated that lighter, smaller particulate dust will generally move with the speed of the wind (historically 8 to 10 mph) out over the bay while the heavier particulate matter will likely fall within or close to the demolition site. CDI is hiring post‐implosion dust cleanup crews comprised of street sweepers / flusher trucks and laborers to assist in dust cleanup.
While we cannot control which way the wind will blow on the date of the implosion, CDI will conduct an extensive community outreach program in the weeks preceding the implosion to ensure surrounding community members know how to protect their properties from the dust that may occur based on the wind gusts and direction. Tips on how to protect individual properties will also be distributed to city and county officials.
How will the roadways be affected?
CDI is working with local officials regarding which road and waterways will need to be temporarily closed to safely conduct the implosion. Traffic is expected to be stopped for less than one hour along Ocean Boulevard and certain streets near Ocean Tower before and after the implosion. A full list of temporarily closed streets will be distributed to local officials and to the media before the demolition date. Following the implosion, traffic will be released on Ocean Boulevard as soon as CDI and local officials have surveyed the area and post‐implosion dust has been cleaned. We expect Ocean Boulevard to reopen within 30 minutes after the implosion.
Can I watch the demolition?
We recognize that numerous South Padre Island residents and visitors are interested in watching the demolition. CDI prides itself on creating a safe work environment and, as such, will work with local officials to establish an Exclusion Zone around the building, outside of which the general public will be able to travel freely.
For the safety of the general public and to minimize security tasking for local authorities, CDI recommends that interested parties watch the implosion from the comfort of their living rooms. There is certain to be substantial live, local, televised media coverage and SouthPadreLive.com will also be streaming live coverage of the implosion on the Internet.
As CDI finalizes its demolition plan, it will continue providing information to concerned citizens regarding the implosion. If questions remain, please contact Jeff Coyle at (210) 826‐8899.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKGBT