Demolition begins on smokestack at Sinclair site

The smokestack that  garnered so much attention in recent months began coming down this morning with little fanfare.

From the basket of an extendable, leased crane, two workers from D.W. Zinser of Walford sprayed water and used a pneumatic jackhammer to dismantle the 180-foot-tall smokestack at the former  Sinclair meatpacking plant, 1600 Third St. SE.

At a rate of about one foot an hour, the century-old brick structure began falling, beginning about 9:30 a.m. Only a handful of reporters and city staff watched, with one observer who had known workers at the plant, also known as Wilson & Co. and Farmstead Foods.

“They're moving right along now,” said John Riggs, the city's project manager for flood demolition.

The crane, handheld equipment and water were used to abide by state Department of Natural Resources rules regarding air emissions that require no visible dust from the demolition.

Riggs said the entire Sinclair site, flooded in 2008 and damaged by two subsequent fires, is treated as if contains hazardous materials, such as asbestos.

The workers are wearing full protective gear as the smokestack is dismantled.

Bricks that drop from the top of the structure could be damaging the plinth, or base of the smokestack that the city's Historic Preservation Commission had asked to save, Riggs said.

The City Council voted last week to demolish the entire structure, including the plinth.

Photos by Brian Ray

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