Helicopter making several drops today. Couldn't see what it was carrying, but the trips were just a couple minutes from the roof and somewhere east of the building.

There were removing white bags of something off the roof, perhaps asbestos excavated from the upper floors?


My vantage point.
https://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a...D720/ry%3D480/

https://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a...D720/ry%3D480/

https://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a...D720/ry%3D480/

I don't know, there must be cheaper ways to remove asbestos than through the roof via helicopter

^^^ Not really, if there is asbestos underlayment on the roof you can't just break it up and toss it down a chute like you would with normal roofing materials. That would create a plume of asbestos dust. You could lower it by crane, but they don't have a crane already set up and that's probably just as expensive especially since insulation (probably what is asbestos if anything) is pretty light meaning helicopters would be relatively inexpensive to use. I think that's a pretty good guess as to what they are doing if they are lowering full sacks of something to the ground.

A little OT, but...that parking lot at the corner of Harrison and Clinton needs to go. I have a rental unit across the street and would just love to see that parcel get developed. The neighborhood is getting some development further down towards Roosevelt, but I've been patiently waiting to see more action around the block (aside from the Circle interchange, of course).

I know there was a blip of a proposal from the last cycle, but obviously it fell through.

^ IDOT is rebuilding the Congress viaduct, a little taller and with better lighting underneath. Hopefully it will be a little bit more inviting after the construction is done. I'm not aware of any streetscaping measures that IDOT is doing, but CDOT may take over eventually. I know they want to move Megabus loading to that area...

When we had four HVAC units lifted to our roof, and four taken off, the helicopter rental was $100K. Seems like you could put a lightweight derrick on the roof and lower those bags by cable for a lot less.

Why not wrap the asbestos in plastic and sent them down a chute?

Fire I guess is another way to get rid of the asbestos.

http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local...402467926.html

except asbestos is fire proof ;)

this seems to happen every couple years

I was just thinking, they could be bags of gravel from the roof.

ABC has a picture that shows a lot more of those white bags on the roof, and some fire damage.

http://abc7chicago.com/news/crews-ba...fice-/1619980/

http://cdn.abclocal.go.com/content/w...77_630x354.jpg

WGN news just reported that the fire is out.

Just landed another renovation permit. $12,000,000.

The helicopters were at it again the last two weekends, and lots of little things are going on. I just noticed that some of the limestone is cut out toward the bottom of the west facade (close to the underpass), and several other signs of progress.

There is quite a bit of facade work going on actually. They are working on the limestone at the north west corner as well, and the entire top floor setback of the west facade and have removed all of the marble door surrounds at the Van Buren St. Entrance. The interior lobby fixtures must have been sent out for restoration as well because there are just temp lights hanging in there now.

Today
https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2848/3...d0fa13be_h.jpg

20170417_112728 by HomrQT, on Flickr

via Curbed

lot of work to have people wind up sitting on a wooden box

or maybe that's their friend in a coffin