MUSKEGON, MI – Those interested in watching things blow up and fall down will want to mark Sunday, April 27 on their calendars.

That is the tentative date of the final implosion in the demolition of the former Sappi paper mill plant at 2400 Lakeshore Dr. Property owner Melching Inc. plans to simultaneously bring down the two remaining smokestacks, according to Muskegon Public Safety Director Jeff Lewis.

Melching officials, along with its demolition explosives company, Trinity Industrial Services of Atlanta, recently have had an initial meeting with city of Muskegon officials on the smokestack demolition, Lewis said.

Misters spray what is left of the demolished 200-foot tall former Sappi Fine Paper power plant in Muskegon after it was demolished with explosives in October. Left standing are two smokestacks that will come down in a similar manner in a demolition event planned for April 27.

It is the same demolition team that without incident successfully brought down a 200-foot tall steel power plant Oct. 27 to the thrill of property owner Doug Melching and hundreds of spectators on the west end of Muskegon Lake.

The power plant was laid down to the north of Lakeshore Drive in a tricky procedure as the industrial structure was within dozens of feet of the roadway and the businesses and houses directly across the street.

Melching and Trinity will go through the same procedures as the last demolition event, Lewis said. That will include notifying the public of the closure of Lakeshore Drive the last Sunday morning in April, the alerts to nearby residents and businesses in the Lakeside Neighborhood and the array of local, state and federal approvals needed before the explosives topple the 200-foot-plus smokestacks.

“This could be relatively easier than last time but there are some uniquely different situations facing us,” Lewis said. “It will be a simpler implosion and hopefully it will go as well as last time.”

The major difference with the April 27 event is the environmental issues surrounding the asbestos paint on the outside of the smokestacks. Trinity Industrial Services demolition expert Steve Murray told the Muskegon City Commission back in September that the smokestack paint contains 2 percent asbestos, a known human carcinogen.

The power plant was brought down first and the debris cleaned up before Trinity and Melching wanted to tackle the smokestack and asbestos issue, Murray said.

The demolition permit will need Michigan Department of Environmental Quality approval, city officials have said. The Oct. 27 demolition required an 18-point list of approvals, including the state fire marshal, U.S. Coast Guard, Federal Aviation Administration, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Michigan State Police along with city fire, police and public works officials.

The smokestack debris will need to be handled as environmentally hazardous material because of the asbestos paint, officials have said. But before the cleanup, city officials must make sure that the stacks come down in a proper and safe manner.

“We need both of the stacks to go in the right direction,” Lewis said of implosions that will bring them down at the same time. “We again must make sure that the stacks do not end up in the roadway.”

As was the case with the power plant demolition event, the public will be kept 1,000 feet away from the stacks which sit in the middle of the 120-acre site on the south side of the property. As with the October event, an evacuation zone is expected to be set up within 500 feet of the blast, causing the closure of Habs Good Eats N' Treats, 2445 Lakeshore Dr., directly across the street along with 25 nearby residential homes.

The Oct. 27 event drew large groups to watch the spectacle from both east and west of the property and from boats on Muskegon Lake. The implosion went off nearly on time at 10:40 a.m., caused negligible damage and no injuries as Lakeshore Drive was reopened by noon.

Meanwhile, Melching – a demolition company based in Nunica – continues the cleanup of debris on the Sappi site. The lower portion of the power plant building to the east of the 200-foot section still needs to be demolished.

Melching has estimated that the massive paper mill facility will be down, removed and the site cleared by the end of the year, a process that began in early 2012.

The owner has been working for more than six months on completing a sale of the Muskegon Lake property to an unnamed buyer as officials indicate they still anticipate the property to be sold.

Dave Alexander covers business and local government for MLive/The Muskegon Chronicle. Email him at dalexan1@mlive.com and follow him on Facebook and Twitter.