SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. - If you plan to watch the implosion of Union Carbide's old Building 82 on Saturday morning, you might take the advice of demolition contractor Jeff Sizemore: Stay at home, watch it on TV and avoid the dust and the crowds.

"That's always my recommendation," said Sizemore, a spokesman for O'Rourke Wrecking Co. of Cincinnati. "If you watch it on TV, they'll play it over and over again. In person, you just see it one time."

Still, thousands of folks are likely to show up to see the event in person, armed with their digital cameras and camcorders, all trying to find the best spot.

That's exactly what worries South Charleston Police Chief Brad Rinehart, who would have liked to see the demolition at 6 a.m. on a Sunday morning.

Instead the owners and their contractors set the highly publicized I-Day at 8:56 a.m. on a Saturday, and invited University of Charleston officials, Carbide and Dow employees and retirees and the general public to the show.

"It's going to be interesting, but we'll get through it," Rinehart said. "I know we'll have traffic jams."

If you come, you might want to bring a windbreaker and an umbrella. Forecasters predict cool temperatures, moderate wind and maybe some rain. But an expected thunderstorm could hold off until afternoon, said John Victory, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Charleston.

Earplugs might be handy too. A demolition contractor said noise levels could reach 130 decibels, louder than a fireworks display.

If you're concerned about dust, you should probably stay south of the building, toward the interstate. Forecasters expect winds will push the dust cloud toward the north.

Contractors have ordered a 700-foot-wide safety zone around the building and will make sure no one gets inside that circle, Rinehart said. More than 50 city employees - police, firefighters, street department and sanitation workers - will patrol outside the circle, blocking off city streets and keeping pedestrians away.

Police will close city streets to traffic starting at about 8:30 a.m. That includes busy MacCorkle Avenue (U.S. 60), which will be blocked off from Montrose Drive to the Mound. Westbound traffic will be diverted up Montrose to Interstate 64 or Kanawha Turnpike, while eastbound drivers will go through downtown on D Street and follow the railroad tracks back to MacCorkle.

Within town, city workers will block traffic into the safety zone on side streets leading off D Street (Third Avenue through Seventh Avenue) and side streets off Second Avenue (A, B and C streets).

Pedestrians can go inside those traffic barriers, but not all the way to the 700-foot circle, Rinehart said: "We've got the next perimeter. They're not going to get by my policemen. We're the second wave, so to speak."

Some people, like Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Bob Anderson, have recommended that visitors view the implosion from the city library, near the corner of D Street and Fourth Avenue. You can probably expect a crowd there.

UC officials plan a ceremony starting at 8:25 a.m. from a platform in the corner of the Los Agaves (formerly Shoney's) restaurant on B Street near Third Avenue, which provides a clear view across a vacant lot to Building 82.

"That's always my recommendation," said Sizemore, a spokesman for O'Rourke Wrecking Co. of Cincinnati. "If you watch it on TV, they'll play it over and over again. In person, you just see it one time."

Still, thousands of folks are likely to show up to see the event in person, armed with their digital cameras and camcorders, all trying to find the best spot.

That's exactly what worries South Charleston Police Chief Brad Rinehart, who would have liked to see the demolition at 6 a.m. on a Sunday morning.

Instead the owners and their contractors set the highly publicized I-Day at 8:56 a.m. on a Saturday, and invited University of Charleston officials, Carbide and Dow employees and retirees and the general public to the show.

"It's going to be interesting, but we'll get through it," Rinehart said. "I know we'll have traffic jams."

If you come, you might want to bring a windbreaker and an umbrella. Forecasters predict cool temperatures, moderate wind and maybe some rain. But an expected thunderstorm could hold off until afternoon, said John Victory, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Charleston.

Earplugs might be handy too. A demolition contractor said noise levels could reach 130 decibels, louder than a fireworks display.

If you're concerned about dust, you should probably stay south of the building, toward the interstate. Forecasters expect winds will push the dust cloud toward the north.

Contractors have ordered a 700-foot-wide safety zone around the building and will make sure no one gets inside that circle, Rinehart said. More than 50 city employees - police, firefighters, street department and sanitation workers - will patrol outside the circle, blocking off city streets and keeping pedestrians away.

Police will close city streets to traffic starting at about 8:30 a.m. That includes busy MacCorkle Avenue (U.S. 60), which will be blocked off from Montrose Drive to the Mound. Westbound traffic will be diverted up Montrose to Interstate 64 or Kanawha Turnpike, while eastbound drivers will go through downtown on D Street and follow the railroad tracks back to MacCorkle.

Within town, city workers will block traffic into the safety zone on side streets leading off D Street (Third Avenue through Seventh Avenue) and side streets off Second Avenue (A, B and C streets).

Pedestrians can go inside those traffic barriers, but not all the way to the 700-foot circle, Rinehart said: "We've got the next perimeter. They're not going to get by my policemen. We're the second wave, so to speak."

Some people, like Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Bob Anderson, have recommended that visitors view the implosion from the city library, near the corner of D Street and Fourth Avenue. You can probably expect a crowd there.

UC officials plan a ceremony starting at 8:25 a.m. from a platform in the corner of the Los Agaves (formerly Shoney's) restaurant on B Street near Third Avenue, which provides a clear view across a vacant lot to Building 82.

UC President Ed Welch, South Charleston Mayor Frank Mullens and eBay auction winner Chris Belcher will speak, cheerleaders will cheer, a drum team will drum and, finally, the winner of this evening's raffle will press the demolition button, UC spokesman Andy Spradling said.

Visitors can buy a commemorative brick from members of the UC Student Government Association for $10.

As at the library, expect a crowd here, too.

Mullens said visitors might get a good view from the top of the city's Mound, or from one of the auto dealerships along MacCorkle.

Rinehart said he'd prefer people stay away. "We're not suggesting anywhere to go. I'd suggest high elevations, watch it from afar, because it's going to be a traffic nightmare.

"If someone really wants to attend this thing they're going to scout it out, find the best spot and not tell anybody," he said. "Others will come at the last minute and expect we've roped off a spot for them."

Parking could be a problem, too, he said. There are some spots at the library, some at City Hall, and more along city streets. Those could fill up early.

People who live or run businesses inside the safety zone have been asked to leave or stay indoors, Rinehart said. Those closest to the center have been encouraged to leave.

Although signs are already posted on I-64, warning about the closure of MacCorkle, some will miss the message, Rinehart said.

"There are going to be a lot of people who are clueless, coming up MacCorkle going to a yard sale. They're not going to understand what's going on and they're going to be upset."

After the blast, the contractors' first priority will be to clear rubble from MacCorkle Avenue so police can reopen the road - first to westbound traffic, then eastbound, Rinehart said.

"I'm anticipating opening up westbound, after the dust settles, in 30 minutes," he said. "I'm hoping to be home on my couch by 10 a.m."

Reach Jim Balow at ba...@wvgazette.com

 or 304-348-5102.