MURRAY — There's more than just asbestos near the top of one of the landmark Murray smokestacks: There's also a nest with two young ravens.
But the demolition of the two stacks, originally planned for April 30, isn't likely to ruffle any feathers. That's because the implosion of the chimneys has been pushed back to mid-May.
"We're not going to blow up the ravens," said Dale Vodehnhale, remedial program manager for the Environmental Protection Agency's regional office in Denver. "By mid-May, they would be able to survive in the wild. We'll get the ravens off safely."
The raven's nest wasn't the reason for the delay, however.
EPA officials still are trying to address all the concerns over the demolition, Vodehnhale said. "Mid-May would be the earliest," he said.
Demolition must be done within 30 days of approval.
At issue is the final revisions of a demolition and cleanup plan of the two Murray smokestacks, on the site of the American Smelting and Refining Co. at about 5300 S. State. They are being imploded to make way for the proposed Chimney Ridge commercial-retail development, a nearly $100 million project.
Developers — The Boyer Co. and Johansen-Thackeray & Co. — are hammering out details of a financial incentive plan with the city. Landowners decided to topple the 455- and 300-foot stacks after the EPA determined them to be unsound.
Murray officials would like to see the demolition pushed back to June, when classes at nearby Murray High School and Hillcrest Junior High will be on summer break.
"We're very sensitive to the school's concern," Vodehnhale said.
But the stacks are very unstable, and the worse thing that could happen is that they come down on their own, he added.
Murray City Council members are concerned the demolition plan isn't safe enough. In particular, they don't like the EPA's decision not to remove the asbestos that coats the tall stack. The EPA says the stack isn't stable enough to support the scaffolding used by workers to scrape off the asbestos.
The stacks also contain varying amounts of arsenic and lead, but at levels considered no higher than what has already been cleaned up at the site.
The demolition plan calls for explosive charges to be strategically placed at the base of the smokestacks so they will fall toward the north, falling into a 4 1/2-foot trench. A massive sprinkling system is being proposed to control the cloud of toxic dust that could be created from the demolition.
You can reach Donna M. Kemp by e-mail at donna@desnews.com