Realty Tower demolition to start Friday
YOUNGSTOWN – The Realty Tower contractor said demolition work will start Friday and take four to six weeks to complete with the goal of having enough of the downtown building taken down by Aug. 2 to allow two nearby structures to reopen.
Gary Moderalli, head of Moderalli Excavating, which is demolishing Realty, said Thursday, “Demolition will begin Friday. A crane with the (wrecking) ball will be used. We have to do it safely.”
Also, Kollin Chupa, a spokeswoman for YO Properties 47 LLC, Realty’s owner, and Live Youngstown Property Management LLC, which manages the property, said Thursday, “I can confirm that all necessary paperwork has been submitted and demolition will proceed tomorrow morning. Again, this process has been fluid with a lot of moving parts. It has been of utmost importance that all elements have been properly assessed, coordinated and completed.”
A May 28 gas explosion caused significant damage to the downtown building on East Federal Street that had a Chase Bank branch on the ground floor and 23 apartments on the upper floors.
The explosion killed Akil Drake, a Chase worker, and injured nine others in the building.
For more, read Friday’s print edition of The Vindicator or online at www.vindy.com.