Emerging Projects and Closeouts

Champion Environmental Services, Inc. is concluding interior demolition and asbestos abatement work at the Passavant Senior Housing complex in Milwaukee, WI.

Work at the US Postal processing building at Ohare is coming to an end. We performed extensive interior and exterior demolition to prep the facility for a new automated sorting system.

Mobilization for the demolition of the former Sheffield School in Sheffield, Illinois should begin next week. We are awaiting final air clearance on the asbestos abatement work.

Champion Environmental Services, Inc. was retained by a private-global client to perform asbestos abatement and building demolition at an international manufacturing plant in Beloit, Wisconsin. The company makes “ . . protein (enzyme) products [for use in] industrial applications . . .ranging from grain processing to cleaning and textiles to biofuels and biosafety”.

Champion Awarded FAA Contract

Champion Environmental Services, Inc. has been awarded a project by the Federal Aviation Administration to perform asbestos abatement at two Wisconsin airports.

Champion has extensive experience with governmental entities having executed contracts with the Department of Energy, Veterans Administration, and General Services Administration.

Small Project In Pewaukee, Wisconsin

Champion Environmental Services, Inc. will begin mobilizing a small crew at the former Lakeview Lanes bowling alley in Pewaukee, WI.

The 15,000 square foot building is being demolished on behalf of the neighboring parish. The church will use the land to expand facilities. Champion will finish operations in about one week.

Century City Update

The building separation at Century City is complete. Our selective cut, while an extremely complicated undertaking, proved rather successful. Extensive site work which included concrete slab removal – up to 8 feet thick in some areas – continues. Note the third picture below, the size of the concrete block in relation to the dump truck, this illustrates the magnitude of concrete we have encountered during removal.

Tower Automotive-Century City Pictures

School of Human Ecology

Champion Environmental Services, Inc. is getting ready to submit notification for work at the University of Wisconsin School of Human Ecology.

The scope of work involves multifaceted tasks including building demolition, asbestos abatement, selective/interior demolition, and historic salvage.

A small two story brick building approximately 4,264 square feet will be demolished. An additional three story brick building measuring 24,000 square feet will also be wrecked; various historic portions of this structure will be dismantled and preserved.

The School of Human Ecology is a five story building encompassing 76,000 square feet. All five floors will be gutted from floor to ceiling. We will also be responsible for removing/recycling the hydraulic oils from the elevators prior to demolition of the elevator.

This project should begin in the week of March 15, 2010.

Marquette University Work Rounding Down

Published in the “Daily Reporter” on 2/08/2010, Champion Environmental Services, Inc. is finishing up demolition work at Marquette University

Strong First Quarter for Environmental Work

Champion was recently awarded several environmental projects in Illinois and Wisconsin. A shuttered hospital in DeKalb, Illinois will be given a clean bill of health after we remove extensive quantities of asbestos containing material. The parcel, developed in the late 60’s, reflects typical building practices which were considered prudent: The hallways and patient rooms contain contaminated floor tile and mastic throughout; carpeted office areas are held down by ACM mastic; patches of ductwork insulation throughout the second floor is “hot” and will need to be properly abated. Nearly 200,000 square feet of hospital will soon be under containment in preparation of this project.

On behalf of the Milwaukee Housing Authority, Champion Environmental Services, Inc. will be providing asbestos abatement and hazardous material removal services at an 11 story residence tower in preparation of demolition activities. ACM materials is just a portion of this contract as we are also responsible for removal of asbestos PCB bulbs/ballasts as well as mercury switches.

As part of a Job Order Contract agreement with nationwide retail chain JC Penney, Champion Environmental Services, Inc. will be abating ACM floor tile and mastic from a store in Peoria, Illinois.

Glendale, Wisconsin Storage Tank Removal

Champion Environmental Services, Inc. mobilized a crew this morning in Glendale, Wisconsin to remove an above ground storage tank at a research and development water treatment facility.

The process will involve a combination of laborers employing the use of cutting torches along with a 315 CAT and shear attachment. The tank will be selectively deconstructed and cut into manageable sections for recycling.

It’s Cold Outside – Yet Work Continues

Just In From The Field

Marquette University

A photograph from our work at Marquette University published in the “Daily Reporter”.

Champion’s Contribution to New State of Wisconsin Demolition Recycling Program

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources announced the implementation of mandatory recycling on all state construction and demolition projects. The initiative will officially begin January 1, 2010.

Champion Environmental Services, Inc., a pioneer of waste reduction in building demolition, took part in several state project studies dating back to 2007; our demolition efforts were monitored and documented by WasteCap Resource Solutions.

Findings were reported back to Governor Jim Doyle, the Wisconsin Department of Administration Division of State Facilities (DSF) and Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Champion provided WasteCap Resource Solutions onsite empirical accreditation along with open interviews of key project managers/field superintendents who clarified the implementation strategies of our best practices for demolition recycling.

Champion’s innovative approach to material recycling help guide recommendations presented to the Wisconsin Department of Administration Division of State Facilities (DSF) and Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

The press release about the program is below.

Interagency cooperation leads to recycling on State of Wisconsin projects
News Release Published: October 19, 2009 by the Central Office
Contact(s): Ann Coakley, DNR Waste and Materials Management Program Director, (608) 261-8449

Recycling required on state construction projects over
$5 million and state demolition projects as of Jan. 1, 2010

MADISON – Wisconsin should see less construction and demolition (C&D) debris in its landfills come the first of the year. A unique partnership among two state agencies and a nonprofit organization has shown that C&D projects throughout Wisconsin can successfully recycle. Based on these results, the Division of State Facilities will be requiring C&D waste to be recycled rather than put in landfills. This will apply to State of Wisconsin construction projects over $5 million and demolition projects advertised for bid after January 1, 2010. The efforts will reduce waste disposal costs, conserve landfill space and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The encouraging results come from a pilot project in which the nonprofit WasteCap Resource Solutions (formerly WasteCap Wisconsin) worked with the Department of Administration Division of State Facilities (DSF) under a contract with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The goal of the project, which began in 2007, was to develop methods, standards and trained staff to result in successful, measured C&D debris recycling on state projects.

Nationally, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates more than 170 million tons of C&D debris are generated each year. In Wisconsin, C&D debris—much of which is recyclable—represents a huge proportion of the municipal solid waste (MSW) stream. A 2002 DNR study found that C&D debris made up nearly 30 percent of the MSW stream, with five of the top 10 largest single components of the MSW being materials found in C&D debris, including untreated wood and shingles as the first and third largest components, respectively.

In recent years, the state of Wisconsin annually approved about $400 million to $500 million for construction, making state projects one of the largest sources of C&D debris generated in Wisconsin.

“We recognized this was a significant effort, not only because of the potential to reuse and recycle C&D debris from state projects,” said Jenna Kunde, executive director of WasteCap. “We knew if we could give contractors experience with C&D reuse and recycling and make it a part of the way they do business with the state; it would have the potential to allow them to implement successful C&D recycling on projects throughout Wisconsin and beyond. It’s a result we’re already seeing realized.”

The inspiration for the project came from Gov. Jim Doyle’s 2005 Conserve Wisconsin Agenda, in which he committed to following green building standards for state buildings and set a 50 percent recycling goal for all state projects. In response, the DSF developed a Sustainable Facilities Policy and Guidelines, including C&D debris management guidelines.

At the same time, the DNR contracted with WasteCap, a nonprofit organization that provides waste reduction and recycling assistance for the benefit of business and the environment, to work with the DSF on the implementation of C&D debris recycling on state projects.

“By any measure, this effort has been a success,” said Dave Haley, State Chief Architect and Deputy Director of the Bureau of Architecture and Engineering for the Department of Administration. “Every pilot project exceeded the 50 percent goal and many of the contractors that recycled on these projects are now recycling on other projects where they are not required to recycle. These projects have an average 84.8 percent recycling rate and have diverted 41,771 tons of material to date—the equivalent of removing 1,500 cars from the road for one year.”
Here are the results:

•UW Madison Biochemistry Phase II (Demolition and Construction)
Recycling rate: 99.12 percent
Tons diverted to date: 25,592
•UW Parkside New Residence Hall Construction
Recycling rate: 60 percent
Tons diverted: 334
•UW Stevens Point – Balwin Hall Renovation
Recycling rate: 90.65 percent
Tons diverted: 231
•UW Superior-Rothwell Student Center Replacement (Demolition and Construction)
Recycling rate: 95.75 percent
Tons diverted to date: 1,339
•UW Whitewater Hyland Hall, Demolition Phase
Recycling rate: 97.65 percent
Tons diverted: 13,694
•UW Whitewater Hyland Hall, Construction Phase
Recycling rate: 65.65 percent
Tons diverted: 581

“We are very pleased with the example this project has set,” said Ann Coakley, director of the DNR Waste and Materials Management Program. “The work the DSF and WasteCap have done, with input from DNR staff, has laid the groundwork for the development of robust C&D recycling markets in Wisconsin and trained some of the state’s biggest contractors in recycling best management practices. This project has helped make Wisconsin a national leader in C&D recycling.”

Additional Resources (both links exit DNR): Governor Doyle’s Conserve Wisconsin agenda and Division 1 Construction Waste Management specifications

The Misconception of What Demolition Wrought

All too often, opposition surrounds impending demolition projects. Resistance will manifest itself in many forms. There are those who argue against demolition projects citing environmental factors. Others contend the historical significance of a building outweighs the “wanton destruction”. The spectrum of contention is rather exhaustive.

A polemical position against demolition practices has only three avenues of appeal: logical, ethical, and emotional. The emotional outlet (by far, the most employed) makes for great newsworthy headlines, spirited municipal meetings, and can help marshal quick support – often, a thoughtless process with regard to the totality of the project at hand.

When logic is applied to such scenarios, people begin to realize that demolition marks a new horizon of opportunity and economic growth. Such is the case at the Shoppes at Fox River in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

In partnership with Opus North, Champion Environmental Services, Inc. was retained to abatement and demolish a 561,000 square foot distribution center at 1200 W. Sunset Drive. This morning on GlobeSt.com, an article was published highlighting the new development of the 58 acre suburban infill location.

The Shoppes at Fox River is the embodiment of what demolition creates, progress.

The article from GlobeSt.com appears below with link: http://www.globest.com/news/1505_1505/chicago/181278-1.html

___________________________________________________

Opus North Opens $62M Shoppes at Fox River
By Cari Brokamp

WAUKESHA, WI-Opus North Corp., of Chicago, has opened the first phase of its $62 million The Shoppes at Fox River retail development at 1200 W. Sunset Dr. The first phase of 250,000 square feet opened at about 90% leased, with a second phase of construction planned to begin in spring and deliver another 250,000 square feet of space by summer 2011. Two of the development's anchor tenants, a 132,000-square-foot Target and a 60,000-square-foot Pick 'n Save grocery store, have already opened, and another eight stores are scheduled to open later this fall.

"It's a great first-tier suburban infill location," John Meyers, VP of retail development for Opus, tells GlobeSt.com. "Waukesha is a great suburban community, and this is a portion of town that didn't have a retail shopping area and we're able to take advantage of that. For retailers, from a strategic standpoint with where their other stores were located, this was a great infill location for them without a lot of retail immediately around it, so there was a market void and they were available to take advantage of it."

Other retailers scheduled to open within phase one this fall include a 14,000-square-foot CVS Pharamacy on a 1.9-acre outlot, a 5,000-square-foot Chili's restaurant on a 1.3-acre outlot, Buffalo Wild Wings, Subway, GNC, Verizon, GameStop and Noodles & Company. Openings scheduled for spring include a 13,500-square-foot PETCO, as well as a Maurice's and Famous Footwear. Asking lease rates at the development range from $13 to $35 per square foot net, depending on location.

There's very few uncommitted spaces at this point and in today's marketplace, that's phenomenal," Meyers says. "The site itself was well-positioned and had some momentum going in, so we focused on the first phase of the development, which was still feasible to do. Even in a difficult time, we continued to get national tenants and hang onto that momentum as long as we held onto the boundaries of what the market could support."

Work on the 54-acre property began in summer 2008, after Opus acquired it for more than $11 million, demolished the 561,000-square-foot distribution center once located there and changed the land's zoning. About 18 acres remain available remain available for development and Meyers said Opus is considered build-to-suit opportunities or selling pad sites for retailers interested in locating within the development. Michael Fitzgerald and Dan Rosenfeld of Mid-America Real Estate-Wisconsin are marketing space within the development.

When completed, Opus says the retail development will be the largest in Waukesha and the sixth largest in the Milwaukee area. Designed by Minneapolis-based KKE Architects, the project is located in the southwest suburban Milwaukee submarket. "The Waukesha marketplace has remained very viable and held up very well there," Meyers says.

Work At Hide House Ready To Begin

Champion Environmental Services, Inc. is finalizing paper work and utility cuts in preparation for the asbestos abatement and demolition of the Hide House in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The Hide House is a 200,000-square-foot complex that started out as a metal stove and bed factory in 1898; over the years, several additions were added to adapt to the needs of various industrial tenants. The last major construction occurred in the mid-1940s when J. Greenebaum Tanning Co. built the Hide House addition on the north end of the complex.

Champion Environmental Services, Inc. will be responsible for the ACM removal of wrapped pipe insulation and floor tile/mastic. Only a portion of the sprawling complex, some 60,000 square feet of building will be demolished in what will be the first phase in a redevelopment effort of the property.

Our commitment to environmental initiatives will be readily apparent on this project as we are looking to achieve minimum recycling rate of 80%.

Work will begin in two weeks. Check back in for pictures and update on this project.

[Photo credits to Google Earth]

Bio-Chem Univeristy of Wisconsin, Madison

Champion Environmental Services, Inc. is finishing up work at the Bio-Chem building at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Today, CESI sawcut and removed a precast concrete slab 11 stories above ground. The edifice housed the mechanical room for the building.

The critical phase was performed under strict safety standards and completed without incident.

The picture below was taken from the job site this morning.

Demolition Photo Update

True Teamwork















The following is a pictorial representation of several projects underway throughout Wisconsin.

Demolition Work In Arcadia, WI Covered By Winona, MN Newspaper

Champion Environmental Services, Inc. received some news coverage in Winona, Minnesota concerning our work in Arcadia, Wisconsin. The article was published in the “Winona Dailey News” with the article by Dustin Kass dustin.kass@lee.net.
Photograph by Melissa Carlo, also of the “Winona Dailey News”.

Demolition of two Arcadia landmarks to improve traffic, pedestrian safety

ARCADIA, Wis. — A crowd of curious onlookers spread across the Cleveland Street sidewalk Thursday. Many aimed cameras or camera phones at the Massuere building across the street, where an excavator ripped out another section of bricks from the back wall, sending them crashing into the growing pile of rubble below. They wanted to see history fall.

“I’ve looked at it all my life,” said 92-year-old Mark Fernholz, gesturing at the demolition process from his power chair before falling silent for a few moments.

“I want to see the roof come down, and then I’m going home,” he said, smiling.

Demolition crews focused their efforts on two of Arcadia’s oldest buildings — the Massuere building and an adjacent building that was the longtime home of Maloney’s Baloney. The demolition will clear the way for a project next summer to realign the intersection of Hwy. 95 and County Road J, a much-needed change that will improve downtown safety, said Mayor John Kimmel. Many in the crowd echoed the potential benefits, but they said Arcadia will have a different look and feel without two of its landmarks.

The two-story Massuere building was likely built in 1875 as a store for The W.P Massuere Co., historians said. The large structure allowed the company to stock and sell everything from farm machinery, livestock and hardware to food and clothing items.

“The store bought everything the farmer raised and sold everything the farmer needed to buy,” according to a newspaper article from the time. The store was such a hub that many employees were required to speak English, Polish and German to better help their customers.

“It was like the Walmart of Arcadia,” Randy Kube, president of the Arcadia Historical Society, said in April.

The store probably closed in the 1930s, local historians said, but the building continued to house a variety of businesses and tenants — most recently, an insurance company, a gym for Gold’n Plump employees and apartments.

The building next door also has a rich history. Martin Maloney bought a local meat market in 1912 and renamed it Maloney’s Meat Market. The name was changed to Maloney’s Baloney after World War II, and the meat-processing business occupied the building until December, when it closed its doors in anticipation of the demolition.

The business’ departure is the only downside of the more than $1.1 million project, since it had been a “staple of our community,” Kimmel said. But he said he had no regrets about demolishing two buildings to improve traffic and pedestrian safety and make downtown Arcadia more inviting. “That’s a good trade-off in my mind.”

Update of Activities by Champion Environmental Services, Inc.

The slow update of information here is reflective of a brisk season that is stretching our allocated resources in both people and machinery.

We are attempting to ensure that our bid for Public Building Commission of Chicago is complete in meeting all the appropriate WBE/MBE/VBE/BEPD goals. The aggressive target participation on the Michael Reese demolition and asbestos removal project is to ensure that local entities benefit financially while creating a level playing field for diverse involvement on what will be a historic undertaking for the City of Chicago.

In other news, Champion Environmental Services, Inc. is receiving local press coverage of our efforts on the University of Wisconsin La Crosse initiative.

Photo of demolition activities thanks to coverage by the La Crosse Tribune; the picture is attributed to Peter Thomson of the La Cross Tribune.

Here is a link to the article and photograph: http://www.lacrossetribune.com/articles/2009/07/03/news/01destruction.txt#READ_COMMENT

Arcadia, Wisconsin

Champion Environmental Services, Inc. will be mobilizing in Arcadia, Wisconsin to provide demolition, asbestos abatement, and site/soil remediation services for several buildings located on East Main and South Washington streets.

Additional work scope involves the salvage of antique brick, site clearing and restoration.

Champion Environmental Services, Inc. Comments on Job Contract Revoked

Champion Environmental Services, Inc. was awarded a demolition contract in 2008 to demolish the Wisconsin Memorial Hospital. After submitting the low bid, Governor Jim Doyle officially cancelled the contract seeking input on the possibility of adaptive reuse for the property. Local and legislative movement pressured the state to reexamine the prospect of renovation versus demolition.

Last week, news writer Paul Snyder of the Daily Reporter contacted CESI seeking a statement on having the contract pulled. I spoke with Mr. Synder at length as to how commonly this occurs in the demolition industry. The scenario is often as such: A building sits idle becoming an attractive nuisance thereby forcing a municipality to secure funding to remediate and demolish the building; when the reality settles in of impeding loss, groups often react to save such properties.

Recent activity at Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago (The Public Building Commission is seeking “Request for Qualifications” for demolition of the hospital) or the Michigan Central Train Depot in Detroit (the mayor sought an emergency demolition order) illustrate two high profile cases of local efforts to block demolition efforts.

The ire over demolition emanates from several sources. Sometimes preservation groups want to save what may be deemed a historical entity and at other times local tax payers are not happy about the cost of razing coming from their pockets.

The position for Champion Environmental Services, Inc. is that while it is disappointing to loose a job, we garner little from challenging opponents; the reality is that when a situation is out of our hands we choose to move forward and seek other opportunities.

I would like to thank Mr. Synder for an accurate portrayal of our position in this matter.
The two articles written by Mr. Synder appear below.

Hospital revival costs demo contractor a job
-->Published: May 15, 2009
PaulSyder
paul.snyder@dailyreporter.com

A late-inning rally to save Wisconsin Memorial Hospital in Madison left Champion Environmental Services Inc. with a state demolition contract but nothing to tear down.
“It’s a little disappointing, sure, because it’s a nice job,” said Terry O’Rourke, vice president of the Gilberts, Ill.-based contractor. “But it’s the state’s decision. It’s out of our hands. We’re fortunate in that we’ve got other projects, because this might have been a make-or-break job for another company.”

Champion last year submitted the low bid to demolish the 89-year-old hospital on the Mendota Mental Health Institute campus. The Wisconsin Historical Society in 2007 recommended demolition as the most cost-effective solution for the vacant building, and the state Building Commission in January 2008 approved spending $541,000 to take the structure down.
Champion’s $198,000 bid came in far below the initial estimate and the contract was finalized, although the state never gave the contractor a green light.
Oregon-based Gorman & Co. Inc. last summer proposed saving the building — at no cost to taxpayers — and leasing it to Catholic Charities of Madison for drug and alcohol treatment.
Gorman’s plan would use an estimated $3.4 million in tax credits for affordable housing and historic preservation.

But the state Department of Health Services last year was unsure if Gorman & Co. would be able to get the promised tax credits, said spokeswoman Stephanie Marquis.
“We were concerned about rehab costs and believed the costs were overstated,” she said. “We were worried about who would pay overruns if those came about, and also the fact that (the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority) actually stipulates it won’t provide tax breaks if a building is used as transitional housing.”
Gary Gorman, president and CEO of Gorman & Co., said any concerns about cost overruns reflect a “fundamental misunderstanding” of his proposal.
“We would not propose they sell us the building,” he said. “But we would set up a long-term lease. The risk and reward associated with the project would be completely in the private sector.”

Gorman said he is still uncertain about how much it would cost to renovate the hospital.
“It’s still a very preliminary conversation,” he said. “The fundamental question is: Does the state want to save the building or not? And right now, it’s saying it does.”
Gov. Jim Doyle last week officially cancelled demolition and directed DHS to review the possibility of saving the building.

Marquis said if renovation cannot be done without costing taxpayers, the state likely will rebid the demolition contract.
“The cost to taxpayers has been a big factor since the beginning, and the first determination was that demolishing the building seems to be the most cost-effective solution,” she said. “We always try to be very responsible stewards for the state.”
But that does not mean Champion will return with its $198,000 bid, O’Rourke said.
“I don’t know whether we would try again,” he said. “It would mean a reassessment if and when that happens and looking at what other work is out there and what other work we’re doing. You’ve always got to be out looking for the next job.”
Related Story: Change of heart common in demo business



Change of heart common in demo business
-->Published: May 15, 2009
Paul Snyderpaul.snyder@dailyreporter.com
Wisconsin’s decision to review a redevelopment project for the Wisconsin Memorial Hospital more than a year after agreeing to demolish the building is just one instance of a common occurrence.

“This kind of thing happens every year,” said Terry O’Rourke, vice president of Gilberts, Ill.-based Champion Environmental Services Inc. “Someone decides to tear a building down, it gets voted on, and you go to a contract.“Then someone from the community gets upset about it. You have to be ready for it.”

But O’Rourke said Champion will not fret about Wisconsin’s decision to cancel the company’s planned $198,000 hospital demolition. The company has other work to complete, he said.
Other companies, meanwhile, are still on the hunt for whatever they can get.
De Pere-based Badgerland Demolition & Earthwork Inc. will bid on the hospital demolition again if the state chooses to rebid, said Dave Williquette, the company’s president.
“We’re not going to work to a point of not turning a profit, but the fact is it’s work,” he said. “It makes sense to go after it again.”

Badgerland submitted a bid of $323,000 for the work last year, and even with the knowledge it lost by $125,000, Williquette said, Badgerland will not change the bid.

“Things could change,” he said. “Maybe the low bidder doesn’t try again. Everything you hear about the tough market applies 100 percent to demolition contractors, too, and we’ve seen this situation before. You put in the low bid on a project, and then the owner just lets it sit there.

Related Story: Hospital revival costs demo contractor a job
“It’s frustrating, but you’ve got to wait for the phone to ring.”