Indy to be relieved of eyesore Keystone Towers on Aug. 28 8.2.11

INDIANAPOLIS STAR

The clock is ticking on Keystone Towers.
City officials announced Monday that the 15-story high-rise on the Northeastside will be demolished at 8 a.m. Aug. 28. It will be done by implosion; the building will be collapsed in upon itself with explosives set at key points.
The city will have a 1,000-foot safety zone around the towers during the implosion, which will be on a Sunday morning. Officials estimate about 474 people live in the safety zone.
The city is considering closing sections of 45th Street, Allisonville Road and Binford Boulevard during the demolition. It's also possible that residents will be notified in upcoming weeks that they'll have to leave their homes during the implosion.
Others in the area should close their windows and turn off their air conditioners until the dust clears, said John Bartholomew, spokesman for the Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development.
"We're still working out the final details," he said, "and it's possible no one will have to leave their homes."
Bartholomew said the demolition has been a long time coming.
"There have been a lot of calls, complaints, coming in over the years," he said. "People are elated that thing will be gone."
Mike Patrick, an administrator for the neighboring Sheet Metal Workers, with offices on East 45th Street, is glad the eyesore soon will be gone. He said it attracted criminal activity.
"I applaud the mayor and the city of Indianapolis for taking care of this situation," he said. "It's going to be a positive step forward for the neighborhood."
Keystone Towers was built in 1973 but fell into decay in the next decade. The buildings have been abandoned since 2003 and boarded up since 2008 -- action taken by the Marion County Health Department after concerns emerged about mold and asbestos contamination. The city took control of the buildings after the site didn't sell in multiple tax sales.
Indianapolis awarded an $827,000 contract June 27 to Denney Excavating of Indianapolis, which subcontracted the job to Advanced Explosive Demolitions.
That company, based in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, has imploded the roof of the Miami (Fla.) Arena, the 10-story Mountain Bell building in Phoenix and the 31-story Flagler high-rise in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Bartholomew said the city already has removed asbestos from Keystone Towers. He said other structures on the site are be
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