Confusion reigns as Delta says that AED won’t be handling the blast.
According to the old adage, “there’s many a slip twixt cup and lip” or, in more modern parlance, don’t count your chickens will they’ve hatched. But we would have thought that a blasting company that effectively buys a contract that is then partially handed over to a more local demolition contractor might justifiably expect to be involved when the final blast arrives.
But, according to another old adage (there really is an adage for every occasion), assumption is the mother of all cock-ups and so it has apparently proved on the on-off contract to demolish the Bellaire Bridge that has apparently left Eric Kelly and the AED team out in the cold.
In May, former bridge owner Roger Barack sold the Bellaire Bridge to AED for $1. Shortly after, AED sold the bridge to Krystle Chaklos of Delta Demolition, for $25,000. Given that the bridge is to be shot in early October, we naturally thought that explosives experts AED had the blasting contract in the bag.
Not so, according to reports in the Wheeling News-Register. “We are no longer working with Eric Kelly – not anymore,” Delta’s Lee Chaklos said. “We did not have a contract. We’re going to be putting the blasting out for bid.” Chaklos did not provide a reason for dropping AED from the project and declined additional comment.
An unidentified spokesman in AED’s office said Monday the company “was working on it” and that Kelly was in meetings pertaining to the bridge project.
Chaklos said change in blasting subcontractors won’t affect his timeline for taking down the bridge, which is now set to come down Oct. 1.
We’re currently trying to speak to Eric Kelly to get his take on this but, in the meantime, you can read more here.
