St. Paul Island: TPA Site 57 Tract 46 Sheet Metal Garage

The Connector Building prior to demolition.

The Connector Building on St. Paul Island was a sheet metal covered building, steel framed with steel purlins.  It was located between and connected to two wooden structures: the Machine Shop and the Equipment Garage.  The Connector Building was constructed in the early 1980s.  The Machine Shop and Equipment Garage were constructed prior to World War II.  NOAA is the owner of the Connector Building property, and thus was responsible for its structural integrity.  In 2004, the Connector Building's structural state was found to have deteriorated beyond repair, and NOAA decided to demolish the building.  

Demolition in progress.

The Connector Building was demolished in two stages.  In October 2004, NOAA and its contractors removed a wooden structure from inside the building, as well as construction debris and trash.  The wooden debris was hauled to the local landfill, and the remainder of the debris was temporarily stored in the Machine Shop.  The crew also reinforced the frames of the building and prepared it for demolition.  Further demolition could not be carried out, however, due to severe weather.

View of the Connector Building's former location after demolition.

After a series of storms caused substantial damage to the building in December 2004 and January 2005 rendering it an imminent public hazard, NOAA and its contractors completed the demolition of the building in February 2005.  Using a crane, boom truck, and a variety of cutting tools, the walls and roof of the buildings were cut and dismantled, and the free standing frames were dismantled and removed by the crane.  Win the building completely demolished, NOAA alleviated the imminent hazard from falling metal fragments. 

Building components were cut into manageable pieces, as necessary, segregated, and disposed of locally or packed in containers and on flat racks to be shipped off the island for disposal or recycling.  NOAA and its contractors ensured the area where the building once stood was cleaned of trash and all visible metal items, and secured by a fence.  NOAA submitted a Corrective Action Report for the Connector Building site in 2006.  A request for no further action at this site is not required by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation.