New Jersey city starts in-house demolition program

The city of Paterson, New Jersey is buying $731,028 worth of equipment to start up its new in-house demolition program, reports the Paterson Times.

City officials say the program will save hundreds of thousands of dollars a year for the city, which currently contracts with outside firms to handle emergency demolitions following a fire or building collapse, the outlet reports. The new equipment will be used in emergency demolition situations when properties become hazardous or dangerous, most often after fires.

Officials plan to purchase a Mack Trucks granite roll-off truck, a Mack Pinnacle heavy haul truck and a Fontaine Mag55h lowboy trailer for $397,928 from Grand Truck Center of San Antonio. They will also buy a Komatsu PC290LC-11 excavator from F&M Equipment, doing business as Komatsu Northeast of South Plainfield, New Jersey, for $331,100.

The Paterson Times reports that the city spent $840,000 to demolish hazardous and dangerous buildings in 2016. Officials told the Times that with its in-house demolition program, which became effective this year, could have saved as much as $200,000 in 2016.

The equipment is being paid for by U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds.

The demolition runs under the fire department, but public works employees will operate the equipment. They will receive special training to do so, and those who sign up to work for the program will receive addition compensation, the Times reports.

Chicago, Detroit and East Orange, New Jersey, have similar programs.