GM Smokestack Wasn’t Actually Imploded Says Demolition Company

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Mystery surrounded the sudden toppling of the smokestack at the former GM Plant in Walkerville Tuesday, but the demolition company, The Jones Group, has released a statement clarifying just what happened.

In the statement, company owner Terry Jones says heavy machinery actually brought down the stack, and that no notice was needed. Jones says the toppling without explosives was an attempt to save taxpayer money.

The full text of the statement can be found below:

At approximately 3pm September 1, 2015 Jones Group Ltd demolished the stack at the former GM Transmission facility. This procedure was completed using hydraulic excavators and was flawlessly executed. Due to the noise, police and fire were dispatched to the area. After a brief confirmation that the noise was from the tower falling, emergency personnel left the area. While City Officials would not return the calls from Jones Group Site Supervisors to explain the method of demolition as the City Officials assumed it was brought down using explosives, they went on to the media stating we were to give two days notice for the implosion attempt. Orchard Height Properties Inc hired Global Recycling to perform the implosion. After 3 failed attempts, City Officials claiming it cost tax payers thousand of dollars for traffic control and emergency services to block roads, Jones Group Ltd decided to demolish the structure saving taxpayers money and disrupting traffic around the plant. We have paid $858,000 in taxes and permit fees in the last year and feel we are entitled to some service. Jones Group Ltd had all necessary permits to complete the stack removal and we stand by our slogan “Demolition is Progress”. The Jones Group takes all negative comments on social media with a grain of salt due to the merits of people not understanding the investment in the community and the magnitude of completing projects of this size.

Terry Jones
President/Owner
Jones Group Ltd.

The Jones Group has been working for months to tear down the former factory.