Advanced Community Enhancement, the building owner, partnered with Building Value (a local nonprofit building materials reuse center, deconstruction service and job training business of Easter Seals TriState), Rumpke Recycling, and the Uptown Consortium in the demolition of the 12,000-square-foot building in what was billed as an environmental event in that 90 percent of the building’s materials will be recycled. The Uptown Consortium and Sperry Van Ness-RICORE Investment Management coordinated the project the corner of Forest and Burnet avenues.
In addition to diverting the waste from the landfill, the project provides transitional employment opportunities through Building Value’s job training deconstruction program. The Building Value crew positions act as a bridge to move people with workforce disadvantages into careers in construction.