The Hertz Tower is scheduled for demolition Saturday, Sept.  7.  A tentative time has been set for 8 a.m., according to Doug Burguieres, planning and development director. Burgieres spoke at the Tuesday city of Lake Charles news conference. Ninety days after the implosion, the property will be development-ready with ready-to-go infrastructure. The 21-story eyesore dotted with plywood and unkempt landscaping will be no more. Hertz will be responsible for marketing the 10.76-acre property, and the city will make sure that it is appropriately done.

The implosion will take less than 30 seconds, said Raymond D. Zukowski, vice president of Controlled Demolition Inc. (CDI), subcontractor for general demolition contractor Lloyd D. Nabors. The skywalk has already been removed, and the atrium will be removed before the demolition.

An Exclusion Zone has been established that is roughly 1,100 feet from the structure, which is available on the City of Lake Charles website. It’s not perfectly round, and some areas are included that are further from The Tower than 1,100 feet, as the Zone of Exclusion follows the layout of city streets.

The debris from the steel and concrete structure will fly 25 to 50 feet, Zukowski said. But the distance of the Exclusion Zone is determined not so much based on flying debris calculations as it is the loudness of the explosion as the building is taken down to 4 to 6 stories.

Joshua Stevens Sr., project manager for Lloyd D. Nabors said residents and business owners in the Exclusion Zone have been contacted. Communication will continue Wednesday.

“We’ve had phone contact with them and email contact with them in preparation for tomorrow. So, we’ll be trying to give them all the information about what to expect, and we’ll continue to keep in phone and email contact as the day approaches to update them on how things are going.”

Nobody will be able to come inside the Exclusion Zone prior to the implosion. Anyone who was inside of the Exclusion Zone before the cordoning off of the area will have to remain inside (their building), according to Michael Golasso, Lemoine Construction. Golasso was hired by the City to help coordinate and communicate safety measures. Within 30 minutes some of the outside streets will start to open, and the streets very close to the implosion will remain closed for possibly another four hours. The closest streets could remain closed even longer.

In addition to the Exclusion Zone established on land, a buffer zone will be set on the water for the safety of boaters. The Coast Guard will help patrol this area.

On demo day

In the hours before the implosion, a series of road closures in the downtown area will be put in place and managed by law enforcement for the protection of public safety. After the implosion, the contractor will move in with traditional excavation equipment to continue demolition and debris removal. Street sweepers will clear City streets of any dust that may accumulate as the result of the demolition.

More details will be provided at a later date by the city, consultant and contractors.

Damaged by the 2020 hurricanes, city administrators became actively involved with the fate of The Tower, owned by the Hertz Corporation.. In an effort to protect the interest of the city, it intervened in Hertz’s lawsuit against its insurance company. Seven million dollars was placed in an escrow account, which made monies available for this demolition.