Island residents, businesses looking forward to implosion of high-rise Ocean Tower

As news spread that the Ocean Tower building north of South Padre Island was to be demolished by implosion, people in general began to look forward to the event.

Construction of the building was halted before it was completed because the building was beginning to settle unevenly, and cracks appeared in the concrete and some of the supporting beams.

The building’s owner decided that the project was unsalvageable, and he filed suit against the contractor and the engineers who had done a study of the soils on which the Tower was erected. The contractor was later dropped from the suit.

A few weeks ago Alderman Sam Liste told other aldermen and citizens attending the meeting, in the public comments session of the media, that Ocean Towers was scheduled to be imploded.

Liste had met the man on the Tower site that day, and the man had told him why he was there. A phone call to the individual Liste talked to, however, failed to gain confirmation when a company spokesman would only say implosion was one of the alternatives being considered.

As the news spread that Controlled Demolition Inc. would be bringing down the building, most people around the Island were happy to see it happen, and even anticipated watching the event when it occurs.

However, one individual, Richard Franke, who owns the nearby Shores development project, was not exactly ecstatic. His nearest house to the structure is only a little more than 100 feet away, he said.

"I’m happy to see it (the Tower) go, but a little nervous about how it’s going," he said. He added he will have engineers observing the process.

Cameron County Judge Carlos Cascos said it is the right thing to do. He said he was not concerned, because the company doing the implosion has an excellent safety record. "I’m sure all the needed insurance will be in place," he said.

Cate Ball, manager of the nearby South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center, said she doesn’t care how they go about it. "I assume they are professionals and know what they are doing, and that nearby properties won’t be damaged," she said.

Manager of South Padre Island Kampgrounds of America Tom Brooke’s business is on the south end of the Island. "It’s probably a good thing," he said. "It may just be my imagination, but it (the Tower) seems to be leaning more and more."

He said if he is in town when the demolition occurs he will definitely watch it. "But we have a KOA convention in Houston in mid-November, so I may have to watch it on video," he said.

Retiree Les Barton, who lives near the north end of Gulf Boulevard, said he’s seen similar demolitions in other places. "It’s better than waiting for the thing to topple over," he said.

City Attorney Paul Cunningham said he assumes the demolition company’s personnel are "highly skilled, highly trained, and highly insured. But in the end if anything does go wrong someone will be held responsible. The law is the law."

Fire Chief Burney Baskett said he has had no contact from Controlled Demolition as of Friday. "I assume they will be calling me," he said. "We’ll be working closely with them to see that our concerns are met. These guys are professionals, so I’m not expecting any problems. I’m actually looking forward to it. I’ve seen this done before."

Interim City Manager Joni Clarke said she plans to contact the company and schedule a public meeting with their representatives to answer citizens’ questions and concerns.

"(Public Works Director) Jay Mitchum and (Public Information Officer) Gary Ainsworth will be involved. I hope we can set up a meeting for the first full week in October. And the city will be working with the demolition company all through the process."

Phil Calo, who operates fishing and dolphin watching cruises, and also keeps the pirate ship Black Dragon sailing the Laguna Madre, said, "We’re going to watch it on the Osprey (another one of his boats)."

He said he’s not concerned about the operation because the people who do these jobs know what they are doing.

"So we’ll take a boatload of people offshore and watch from there-as close in as safely possible," he said, adding it will probably be the best view available anywhere of the demolition of the building.