"...being gutted, but not torn down..."

This is what Channel 5 was saying on this morning's newscast.  They are taking their cue from the caption that appeared in the PBP article this week.  So goes the spin on what is happening to the Casino building...ha!

Here are the demolition plans from the set of plans for the project:

Click on these images for greater detail.  The dashed lines on the plan indicate the building's existing, or once existing walls for the second floor.  Everything on the second floor is being demolished!  Nothing will be left, not even the floor.  Here is the call-out on the "DEMOLITION PLAN KEY NOTES:"

This is the project management table from Morganti's Report #5:

You can see the from the table that the entire roof, 2nd floor walls, 2nd floor and roof of 1st floor are all being demolished.  The only "selective demolition" that is taking place will be on the 1st floor.  See the demolition plan for the 1st floor - below:

These are the only things being spared from demolition on the first floor - that I can tell by reading the plan:

• The columns along the current portion of the building that is two story - the building's southern half.  All the columns on the north half of the building are gone.
• The columns that are currently buried within the structure along southern wall - with minor portions of wall attached to those columns.
• An 8 foot long and a 16 foot wall running east to west along the southern wall.
• A series of six, 2 foot wall portions where the eastern wall was.
• A series of eleven 2 foot to 3 foot 8 inch sections of wall along where the western wall used to be.
• Two walls in the middle of the building running east to west of undetermined dimension.
• A total of sixteen wall sections measuring between 2 feet to 3 foot 8 inches where the northern half of the building was.
• Two walls about 12 feet long running north to south along the western wall of the northern half of where the building was.
• Two walls about 12 feet long running east to west along the northern extent of the building.

That's it - that is all that will be left of the building once demolition is completed.  I really question whether or not the small portions of the building "selectively" being saved can be incorporated in to the new structure.  To what end?  Just to be able to say that this was not a complete demolition?

Now, the building official's interpretation is that since there were existing code deficiencies in the building, the demolition is "curing" those deficiencies so that value is not included the total project cost.  Due to this interpretation, the city does not have to bring the building up to current code requirements as it relates to the foundation.  That means that the building - which is being "renovated" with public money - will not have the protection of being on pilings and a fortified slab.  This could result in the entire building being washed out to the ocean should a strong hurricane or other storm come along - wasting the public money that was spent on the building.

Remember Cara's PowerPoint presentation on sea level rise and "managed retreat" from the ocean?  So much for that concept.

People got elected based on "We are saving the historic Casino" line.  The Commission and the administration - and the Palm Beach Post  - are still saying that is true.

We all should be OuTrAgEd!