Although thousands of spectators, road closings, police and destruction of property may not sound like a recipe for a safe and fun time to everyone, it is the expected agenda on Knapp and Storms Halls’ implosion day, expected to be July 19, 20 or 21.

Kerry Dixon-Fox, architect for Facilities Planning and Management, said activity at the site will begin early in the morning, when contractors begin securing the site.

“The roads around the area, for traffic control, will be closed approximately two hours before the event,” she said.

Dixon-Fox said the demolition is planned for 10 a.m., although the time could vary because of bad weather. The actual demolitions should take less than a minute and should appear to happen simultaneously.

“The blasts will not go off at exactly the same time in both buildings. There will be a slight delay between the two,” Dixon-Fox said. “They are going to look like they are falling at the same time.”

She said the blast will be gentler than most people seem to expect.

Dixon-Fox said people she has talked to expect an aftershock, comparable in effect to that produced by someone dropping a 5-gallon bucket of sand. She said what will actually happen, however, will be closer to someone pouring out the sand in a 5-gallon bucket.

“There’s hardly any vibration at all — what people react to is the sound of the explosives,” Dixon-Fox said. “It’s not like you are tipping over a book and it’s falling over in one thud.”

She said people in surrounding homes are not going to be evacuated, although it is recommended they remain indoors. Dust from the implosion should settle in about 15 to 20 minutes, after which surrounding roads will open.

Dixon-Fox said although the demolition subcontractor typically sees more than 5,000 spectators, the best view of the event should be on TV.

Two cameras will be well within the 750 limit for spectators, offering a closer view of the implosion. Facilities Planning and Management does not have a crowd-size estimate yet.

Viewing areas will be established on the fields to the east and west of towers. Dixon-Fox said a live feed from two of the cameras being used to document the event will be shown on Ames Public Access Television.

“Those will be camera angles and views that will not be readily available to anyone,” she said.