[FONT=Verdana]Utility lines to the vacant 22-acre River Park Apartments complex on the far south side of Hammond, IN are being disconnected, and water is being pumped from the flooded basement of the first of 22 buildings at the site to be torn down.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana]Asbestos removal from the historic Vogel's Restaurant at the city's northern extreme should take about a week, then the 85-year-old banquet hall itself will be demolished, Joe Lynch, engineer with consultant Amereco Inc., told the Redevelopment Commission on Thursday.

Dore & Associates Construction Inc., of Bay City, Mich., was awarded the River Park demolition work last month with a bid of $2,078,400 to take down the complex.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana]Hammond firm J M Construction and Wrecking will be paid $77,900 for demolishing Vogel's, after Brandenburg Environmental Services of Chicago completes its $82,500 remediation work in the structure, which was built in 1921.

The city acquired the apartment complex earlier this year as part of a $20 million plan to open up the area for new economic development.

The former Vogel's property is owned by successors to the private Roby Land Partners group, which will be footing the bill for most of the work there.[/FONT]