O’Rourke Demolition has managed to do the impossible: make Tax Day exciting.
Covington city officials, demolition crew members and the media were all on hand to witness the ceremonial start to the demolition of the 17.5 acre former IRS building. The site will be the future home of the highly anticipated Covington Central Riverfront development.
O’Rourke brought two Caterpillar 365 Excavators to the ceremony, symbolically demonstrating how monumental the demolition will be. The excavator will be used to rip-off the southern edge of the “flat top” building. The excavator’s first swipe will mark the opening moment of a 5 ½ month long demolition project.
“Generations from now, when people talk about ‘Covington,’ this complex will dominate their impression,” Mayor Joe Meyer said. “We’ve been working on an array of exciting initiatives over the last few years, but nothing compares to this project in magnitude and long-term impact.”
“This region is our home, so we understand the historical significance of this project and we’re excited to be a part of it,” Jeff Sizemore, operations vice president of O’Rourke, said. “Today, we’re thrilled to get on with it and start removing the ‘old’ to create a blank canvas for the ‘new.’ By year’s end, this site’s extensive size and potential will be visible to all.”
Covington purchased the site in 2020 after months of negotiation. In its heyday, the IRS site had approximately 4,000 employees. It closed in 2019 after falling victim to the growing trend of electronic tax filings.
Below are the demolition details that were released at a recent meeting held by the Covington, O’Rourke, and J.S. Held, the consulting firm serving as project manager:
• Projected schedule: O’Rourke expects to finish demolishing the 17.5-acre
building(s) and surrounding asphalt parking lots by August 26, re-grade the site by Sept.
16, spread grass seed and straw mulch by September 23, and turn the cleared site over to the Covington on September 30.
• Hours of operation: 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Crews will work
a few partial Saturdays to clear the eastern-most portion of the site abutting Learning
Grove-River Center child-care to minimize impact on its operations during the week.
• Impact on surrounding areas: The demolition of the one-story structures will
be controlled. Given that the buildings contain very little concrete, not a lot of dust
will be produced, Sizemore said. The asphalt pavement will be torn up last to reduce the
mud that will be tracked onto streets. A sweeper on site will clean the entrances and
surrounding streets on a daily basis.
• Truck route: Most of the loaded dump trucks will leave the site and immediately
head west on West Fourth Street and cross the Ohio River on the Clay Wade Bailey or
Brent Spence bridges. A few trucks carrying scrap metal will head east to Newport.
