Demolition of Peninsula Plywood in Port of Port Angeles, Washington, expected to start by late-December, be completed by July 1, says port commissioner

Wendy Lisney

LOS ANGELES , November 29, 2012 (Industry Intelligence Inc.) –

The demolition of Peninsula Plywood in Port of Port Angeles in Washington will begin in mid- to late-December and is likely to be completed before the July 1, 2013, date set in the contract, according to a port official, reported the Peninsula Daily News on Nov. 28.

Ten buildings will be torn down at the port-owned site under a US$1.6-million contract with Rhine Demolition LLC of Tacoma, Washington. The demolition is expected to be done “a couple of months sooner” than next July 1, said John Calhoun, president of the Port of Port Angeles commission.

The demolition will be followed by an environmental cleanup of the site, where hydraulic oil and the wood-treatment chemical PCP leached into groundwater, in addition to the presence of contaminants that include benzene and toluene, the Peninsula Daily News reported.

The combined cost of the demolition and the cleanup could be as much as $6.4 million, according to Calhoun. Up to $2 million in reimbursable expenses for the project has been made available by the state Department of Ecology.

Among the last pieces of the operation to be demolished will be mill’s signature 175-ft. stack, which bears the name KPly, said port Public Works Manager Randy Bracket. This should occur around mid-March, he said, reported the Peninsula Daily News.

The public will be able to watch the demolition progress from Web cameras that will be accessible via the port’s website at www.portofpa.com. The cameras should be installed by the end of next week, said Brackett.

Hourly freeze-frame shots of the work will be taken from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day; and after demolition, a time-lapse mode will be made available for viewing the entire demolition within seconds, said port Executive Director Jeff Robb, the Peninsula Daily News reported.

The primary source of this article is Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, Washington, on Nov. 28, 2012.

* All content is copyrighted by Industry Intelligence, or the original respective author or source. You may not recirculate, redistrubte or publish the analysis and presentation included in the service without Industry Intelligence's prior written consent. Please review our terms of use.