The Jan. 8 implosion of the unfinished Berkman Plaza II is canceled and no new date for the implosion is scheduled, the project manager said Jan. 3.
Jacksonville Riverfront Revitalization LLC wants to remove the building at 500 E. Bay St. to make way for development.
This is the third time the implosion has been postponed.
“As of today, it is now evident that our desire to implode on January 8 was too optimistic. We now must fall back to the next available date provided by our Implosion Contractor, and coordinate accordingly with all parties,” said Park Beeler, managing member of Jacksonville Riverfront Revitalization.
He issued a news release to city officials, residents of The Plaza Condominium at Berkman Plaza & Marina and media.
Pece of Mind Environmental Inc. is the project’s lead demolition contractor. The implosion contractor is Maryland-based Controlled Demolition Inc.
“Even though we knew this would be difficult because of the holidays, that date was tentatively picked in hopes we could get this earliest date to work. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Frustrating for us, frustrating for all,” Beeler said in the release.
“These postponements have not been, and are not now, arbitrary. This demolition is far more complex than would normally have been the case. No mistakes can be tolerated,” he said.
“The holiday season has disrupted everyone’s schedules far more than expected this year. Scheduling travel for this holiday season, with the re-emergence of Covid effects and the new variant, has been a holiday nightmare. The pent-up desire for family time and events, and use of vacation time on both ends of the holidays has been a factor more disruptive than we ever anticipated.”
Beeler also pointed to insurance issues for the delay, saying the underwriting could not be completed in time. He also said the company expanded its insurance coverage.
“This underwriting is something that we have to let run its course, without compromise,” Beeler said.
“We cannot and will not actually trigger the explosion to bring down the structure until the expanded insurance coverages are in place, and we are taking into account all possible problems, no matter how remote.”
The release said the insurance underwriting could lead to more delays. The letter offered no new date for the implosion.
“This underwriting should be completed soon, but we do not have a new implosion date yet due to the implosion company’s other scheduled demos. There is a possibility that a new implosion date could be identified in a matter of days, but it definitely will not be on January 8. So we must push the date back yet again, although only for a short time. We will keep everyone promptly advised,” the letter said.
“Needless to say, the expanded insurance need has added another large expense to the project. Nevertheless, we will do what is required to satisfy all reasonable concerns,” it said.
“If that means another delay, so be it.”
Two previous dates for the implosion, Oct. 17 and Nov. 14, were scrapped because of scheduling conflicts, safety concerns and supply chain issues.
In August, Pece of Mind halted a manual tear-down because of structural and safety concerns and sought city approval for an implosion.
The riverfront property is under condemnation by the city.
PB Riverfront Revitalization of Jacksonville LLC, a company controlled by the developer, bought the Berkman II on April 21 for $5.503 million.
The developer has plans to replace the 15-year-old Berkman shell with a mixed-use residential and hotel high-rise.
The building has been vacant since 2007, following the collapse of a parking garage that killed one and injured others.
Beeler’s Jan. 3 release pointed out the timetable of other Downtown demolition and development projects.
“Please remember that it took almost three years to demolish the former city hall and courthouse sites and parking deck over the river once the decision to do so was finalized. In fact, from the time the decision was made to relocate city hall and build a new courthouse, it was over a DECADE,” Beeler wrote.
“It has taken almost seven years for Shad Kahn’s vision for a signature Four Seasons Hotel to begin to take shape along the river. The demolition of the elevated Hart Expressway roadway and rebuild is still not completed after over two years. And no one anticipated all of the problems we have had to deal with to demolish this structure,” he wrote.
“And no one anticipated all of the problems we have had to deal with to demolish this structure.
“In that sense, we are way ahead of schedule. We are 90 percent of the way finished with this project. Please be patient.”
