[FONT=Verdana]Some of the more visible signs of the RCA Dome's demolition began this week as a 60-person crew started tearing out the stadium's seats, uprooting sections of turf and drilling holes that will be loaded with explosives for the building's implosion, set for December.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana]The process[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana]Several rows of the stadium's seats have been unbolted from their cement bases and will be removed from the stadium over the next three weeks, said Tom Scheele, senior vice president with contractor Shiel Sexton.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana]Much of the turf is being taken out in large squares. Once it is pulled up, sand and small rubber particles left behind must be cleaned off with shovels and vacuums.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana]About 800 holes are being drilled in columns around the stadium to prepare for the implosion, which will take 10 to 30 seconds and will leave a pile of rubble 30 to 50 feet high, Scheele said.[/FONT]
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The remains[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana]About 700 sets of the stadium's seats have been sold, said Samantha Barton, marketing manager for MainGate, the Colts' merchandiser. Thousands of remaining seats can be purchased through Tuesday for $395 for a set of two. If interested, go to http://www.buythedome.com.[/FONT]
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Scheele said seats that are not sold must be dismantled so their plastic and metal components can be recycled separately. The goal is to recycle as much as 80 percent of the stadium's materials.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana]Parts of the turf are being preserved for sale, too. Turf in 2-by-3-foot pieces of the field's blue end zone can be bought at a starting price of $125.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana]The rest of the turf's scraps could be donated for use in areas such as a baseball dugout if project leaders find takers, Scheele said.[/FONT]
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What's next[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana]The dome's demolition, expected to cost $8 million to $10 million, began in January when crews started relocating utilities.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana]The removal of seats, turf and other salvageable items from the stadium over the next few weeks will prepare crews for the next milestone: deflating the roof. That process, which involves shutting down the fans that hold up the roof and letting air out of the dome, will take place the third or fourth week of September.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana]The dome will be imploded in the first few weeks of December, with a date to be set based on other events taking place in the city. By the time of the implosion, parts of the concrete platform for lower-bowl seating areas will be gutted so the upper level of seating can be imploded.

[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Rubble cleanup will take place alongside the Indiana Convention Center expansion, which is scheduled to be complete by the end of 2010.[/FONT]