City undercuts demolition professionals to win contract to demolish “Ol’ Stinky”
Okaloosa County will use its own crews to demolish the old Garnier’s wastewater treatment plant on Essex Road in Ocean City. Commissioners unanimously approved the in-house project earlier this week.
“These are tough budgetary times,” Water and Sewer Director Jeff Littrell told commissioners. “We believe we can go in there and pull it off for about half (the cost).”
Littrell said his crews can dismantle the plant for about $750,000. The county had budgeted about $1.5 million for a private contractor to do the job. The cost of the demolition should be offset significantly by selling recyclable material at the plant, including large amounts of concrete, stainless steel, copper and aluminum.
“We’re going to make this as green and sustainable a project as possible,” Littrell said. “We’re going to try and salvage and recycle everything.”
Commissioner Dave Parisot said he is concerned about the safety of county employees. “This type of demolition is a new task that we haven’t done,” he said. “Safety is going to be paramount. … We need to make sure our people are protected. There’s a great potential for some falls out there.”
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