City 'laser scans' Sinclair smokestack for accurate depiction if someone wants to recreate it someday

City Hall this week sent local engineering/architectural firm Shive-Hattery Inc. to the Sinclair plant site to “laser scan” the plant's old brick smokestack, which is slated for quick demolition along with most of the rest the flood-damaged and fire-damaged former meatpacking plant.

Greg Eyerly, the city's flood-recovery director, explains that the laser scanning of the smoke stack is designed to provide an accurate depiction of the structure in case people want to reconstruct it someday.

On Friday afternoon, Eyerly was going to visit the plant site with Maura Pilcher, chairwoman of the city's Historic Preservation Commission. The commission has asked the city to forestall the demolition of the smokestack until the commission can obtain a report on the smokestack from an engineer experienced in inspecting historic masonry.

Eyerly has said that the city and state and federal officials, including state historic representatives, have agreed that the smokestack is leaning, is damaged and is an imminent threat to collapse and an imminent threat to collapse.

The city is opening bids on the demolition work this afternoon, and Eyerly said the City Council is now slated to approve a contract for the demolition at its meeting next Wednesday.

The smokestack is slated to come down first because it easily could fall down once heavy equipment starts working near it, Eyerly said.

The total demolition project - which will paid for in large part by the Federal Emergency Management Agency - could cost $20 million or more, Eyerly has said.