Sorry, kids no dynamite.
A long disused smokestack behind Red Bank Catholic High School is coming down next week, weather and other conditions permitting.
Jay Patock, president of Patock Construction in Eatontown, says demolition of the stack, which is about 75 feet tall, is tentatively scheduled to begin Monday.
But those expecting a blast of TNT, a tilting tower and a cloud of smoke will be disappointed.
Instead of a wallop of dynamite, laborers equipped with ‘chipping guns’ will work from lifts to dismantle the stack, knocking bricks and mortar into the cylinder itself.
“It’s a brick at a time, and it falls down the stack,” says Patock. “It’s a very tedious job.”
Explosives are out of the question because the stack is in the midst of a busy block, with RBC, St. James church and elementary school, and stores along Monmouth Street adjoining the site. School will be in session.
The demolition will clear the site for construction, scheduled to begin April 13, of a 31,000-square-foot student center approved by the borough zoning board in July 2007. Patock is the general contractor on the $12 million job.
The plan calls for a three-story structure housing a gym, a fitness center, locker rooms, coaches’ offices and two classrooms.
Here’s a full description of the planned facility: Download Theplan
