Wolford Trucking

Apr 19, 2022

Michigan county prepares for $45M demolition project The Genesee County Land Bank Authority plans to demolish 2,410 homes. The Genesee County Land Bank Authority (GCLBA), a government organization that manages tax-foreclosed properties, is moving forward with a $45 million plan to demolish more than 2,000 blighted homes in the county. The proposal was given final approval by Flint, Michigan’s city council April 12. Most of the demolition will take place in Flint. The total number of houses set for demolition is 2,415, including 2,265 in Flint, 94 percent of the proposed program. “There are about 7,000 households that sit next to these public blighted properties,” says Michael Freeman, executive director of the GCLBA . “If you do the math, there are about three people per household, so that's 21,000 people who are adversely affected by blighted structures in the city. That's roughly one-quarter of the population of a city that must deal with these properties.” The goal of the project is to uplift the households located near the blighted houses. This project is expected to increase property values for the houses near blighted properties by 4.2 percent and decrease the abandonment in these communities by 2.5 percent. Freeman says he hopes to demolish 500 homes by the end of the year. In 2023 and 2024, he says the organization plans to demolish 1,000 homes respectively. The land bank will select structures for demolition by using various criteria such as the rate of the building's decay and the sturdiness of its structure. It is also taking input from residents and the local governments. “All these expenditures have to be completed by no later than 2026,” he says. “That's the federal grant period for completion. However, we would love to be able to do this in three years.” During the demolition process, the authority says it will provide the city with the tools to identify privately-owned homes that need to be repaired or demolished. The cost of the project will be split among three different entities. Flint will pay $16 million, while the county will pay $8 million and $21.3 million in grants will come from the state of Michigan and the Mott Foundation, a Flint-based nonprofit. The GCLBA is undergoing a procurement process for demolition contractors in the area. Freeman says the organization will rely on various minority or female-owned businesses to demolish the homes in the program. The GCLBA recently completed a similar demolition project which began in 2014, was completed in 2020 and cost $67.5 million, Freeman says. The organization demolished more than 4,000 homes in Flint during that period. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has launched a  National Emphasis Program (NEP) designed to protect millions of workers from heat illness and injuries. This marks the first time that heat illness and injuries have been the subjects of a National Emphasis Program, with OSHA planning to conduct heat-related workplace inspections. The NEP took effect April 8 and remains in effect for three years unless canceled or extended by a superseding directive. U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh and Vice President Kamala Harris announced the new enforcement program at Sheet Metal Workers Local 19 Training Center in Philadelphia. Heat illness affects thousands of indoor and outdoor workers each year and can lead to death, according to a news release about the program. The Department of Labor says reducing workplace heat-related illnesses and injuries is a top priority, and this NEP is a way to immediately improve enforcement and compliance efforts while continuing long-term work to establish a heat illness prevention rule. These efforts are part of a larger, interagency Biden-Harris administration effort to protect workers and communities from extreme heat and rising temperatures resulting from climate change. “Tragically, the three-year average of workplace deaths caused by heat has doubled since the early 1990s,” Walsh says. “These extreme heat hazards aren’t limited to outdoor occupations, the seasons or geography. From farmworkers in California to construction workers in Texas and warehouse workers in Pennsylvania, heat illness—exacerbated by our climate’s rising temperatures—presents a growing hazard for millions of workers. This enforcement program is another step towards our goal of a federal heat standard. Through this work, we’re also empowering workers with knowledge of their rights, especially the right to speak up about their safety without fear of retaliation.” As part of the program, OSHA will initiate inspections in more than 70 high-risk industries in indoor and outdoor work settings when the National Weather Service has issued a heat warning or advisory for a local area. On days when the heat index is 80 F or higher, OSHA inspectors and compliance assistance specialists will engage in proactive outreach and technical assistance to help stakeholders keep workers safe on the job. Inspectors will look for and address heat hazards during inspections, regardless of whether the industry is targeted in the NEP, according to the news release. OSHA’s area offices will engage in outreach to unions, employers in target industries and other organizations committed to advancing protections for underserved workers. The agency’s  On-Site Consultation Program , a free and confidential health and safety consulting program for small- and medium-sized businesses, will assist employers in developing strategic approaches for addressing heat-related illnesses and injuries in workplaces, the Department of Labor says. Last fall, OSHA published an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to initiate the rulemaking process toward a federal heat standard. As part of OSHA’s continued work to reduce workplace heat illnesses and fatalities, the agency will hold a public stakeholder meeting May 3 to discuss OSHA’s ongoing activities to protect workers from heat-related hazards, including the  Heat Illness Prevention Campaign , compliance assistance activities and enforcement efforts. Those interested can register  here . Recycling Today Media Group has reached out to OSHA to learn more about the industries being targeted. DTG Recycle, Mill Creek, Washington, says it has acquired substantially all assets of Bobby Wolford Trucking & Salvage Inc. of Woodinville, Washington. DTG Recycle is a recycler of commercial, industrial, construction and demolition material in the Pacific Northwest. Bobby Wolford Trucking & Salvage  was founded in 1968 and is recognizable in the area for its distinct yellow and purple fleet. It has been a dominant force in the local heavy-haul and demolition industry, DTG Recycle says. With this purchase, DTG Recycle positions itself to work with its demolition and site preparation customers on the recovery of valuable recyclables with a fully integrated suite of services. “From site prep and demolition to the collection, transportation, sorting, processing and manufacturing of end products, our customers will now have a full-spectrum solution to what was previously a very segmented process,” says Dan Guimont, founder and chairman of DTG Recycle . “Some of the many benefits to our customers include integrated scheduling, access to other site services we offer, such as portable restrooms and street sweeping, and helping them attain their sustainability goals by reducing material from going to the landfill.” “This is a bitter-sweet moment for me,” Bobby Wolford, says. “I’m certain my customers and employees are in good hands with DTG, and I am excited for the opportunities for growth and advancement this acquisition gives them.” DTG Recycle will add Wolford’s 10-acre site in Maltby, Washington, which will be the site of a newly planned, state-of-the-art facility with concrete recycling capabilities. Additionally, DTG will integrate Wolford's low-boys, side-dumps, end-dumps, walking-floor trailers and heavy equipment into its fleet. Earlier this year, DTG Recycle announced that it had acquired substantially all assets of Rolloff Recyclers , Woodinville, Washington, which operates a fleet of recycling containers in King and Snohomish counties. Prior to that, the company purchased “substantially all assets” of Hungry Buzzard , Bothwell, Washington, and Maltby Container , based in Maltby. Earlier in 2021, the company acquired Milton, Washington-based Kleensweep Construction Services ’ collection and recycling business division. In early January of 2020, DTG announced that it closed on a $32 million minority growth equity financing deal from Toronto-based Clairvest in partnership with existing shareholders, marking another significant milestone for the company after an active 2019. During that year, DTG acquired the Anderson Rock & Demolition Pits limited purpose landfill in Yakima, Washington; the Recovery 1 MRF in Tacoma, Washington; and opened two new material recovery facilities in the Seattle-Tacoma area.