Ypsilanti Township begins demolition process for vacant Liberty Square
Liberty Square was recently damaged in a fire.
Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com
Ypsilanti Township has taken the first step in what could be a lengthy demolition process of the abandoned Liberty Square townhouse complex.
That township has signed a contract with a company to perform an environmental study and asbestos abatement survey that are required before demolition.
The move comes despite some former Liberty Square residents filing an appeal with the Michigan State Court of Appeals to a Washtenaw County Circuit Court judge’s decision to declare the property a public nuisance and order it demolished.
But Mike Radzik, director of the township’s office of community standards, said those appealing the ruling didn’t have a stay placed on Judge Donald Shelton's orders.
In August, Shelton ordered the Grove Park Home Improvement Association to demolish the property within 60 days, and ordered the township to complete the job if the home improvement association did not.
Grove Park has no money, the abandoned complex still stands. and it remains a drain on township resources. Radzik said it is now the township’s responsibility to demolish it.
“We’re under the gun to comply with the court’s order,” he said.
He said the township entered into a contract with Detroit-based TEG Environmental Services to complete the survey and study for an amount not to exceed $47,500 for both. One of TEG’s owners is an Ypsilanti Township resident.
The study and asbestos survey are required by state and federal law, and samples must be taken from each of the 151 units in the 17 buildings at Liberty Square. The complex is on Grove Road just west of Rawsonville Road.
In the asbestos survey, samples of materials such as tile flooring or drywalling that could contain asbestos are taken from the buildings and sent to a lab for analysis. If asbestos is found, then the materials containing it must be removed from the site and sent to a dump that accepts hazardous materials.
That could significantly increase the demolition’s cost, though Radzik said the township is hopeful it can either secure grants or some type of state or federal assistance for the project.
The environmental study will be a less extensive review of the site to make sure there aren't other hazardous materials that must be addressed.
Shelton called the complex a “dilapidated and essentially abandoned housing area” in his August ruling. It faced a wide range of issues ranging from deteriorating walls to mold to badly damaged roofs.
Between November and February, the township spent between $20,00 and $25,000 boarding up and securing the complex, then re-securing it after vandals and scrap metal thieves broke in.
Radzik said an informal asbestos survey and environmental report should be ready within six weeks after the contract is signed, and the township can seek requests for proposals on the demolition after a formal report is issued.
Comments
xmo
Fri, Apr 27, 2012 : 5:01 p.m.
Sounds like an excellent place to hold a Fire Fighting school! They could even charge other cities to attend.
jns131
Sat, Apr 28, 2012 : 1:10 p.m.
That would save a lot of money by doing that one. Nice idea.
Jay Thomas
Fri, Apr 27, 2012 : 2:26 p.m.
They will probably rebuild it all over again... Ypsi loves housing projects.
Monica R-W
Sun, Apr 29, 2012 : 3:05 a.m.
Only maybe if Ypsilanti Township was Ypsilanti City.....but its' not. As for housing projects, the ones in Ypsilanti City are quite clean and well maintained. So your point is?
Richard
Sat, Apr 28, 2012 : 7:56 a.m.
Jay - Ypsi City loves housing projects; Ypsi Township does not. If you read some of the articles about abandoned homes being demolished and past articles about liberty square, there is often someone complaining about gentrification in Ypsi Township.
jns131
Fri, Apr 27, 2012 : 3:06 p.m.
I highly don't think so. I think it will stay empty for a long time. If anything, since the highway is there? A nice strip mall might be in order. Although there is a school in that area. All I know is that eye sore is going away. Quickly.
Ignatz
Fri, Apr 27, 2012 : 2:11 p.m.
This is good news. A vacant field would be preferable to this conglomeration.
Richard
Sat, Apr 28, 2012 : 7:54 a.m.
Hopefully they don't plop a Walmart there.
jns131
Fri, Apr 27, 2012 : 3:05 p.m.
I could not agree more. I can't believe Mike finally is getting rid of that blight.
no flamers!
Fri, Apr 27, 2012 : 12:16 p.m.
Progress, one step at a time. These units could have been demolished last fall absent the regulatory requirement to test all 151 essentially identical units. Frustrating, as both a taxpayer and a neighbor to this eyesore. The regulatory requirement regarding testing all 151 units seems needlessly burdensome and costly. We need more people writing regulations that have also written paychecks--regulators have an important role, and need the perspective and experience to recognize that sampling 151 essentially identical units wastes time and money.
YpsiLivin
Fri, Apr 27, 2012 : 1:11 p.m.
no flamers, I understand your point, but while the units might be architecturally "identical," they may not be physically identical. Asbestos was used in building materials in a number of different ways, including roofing felt, roofing shingles, roofing tiles, siding shingles and in clapboards. It was also used in sprayed and troweled coatings for walls; in cement sheets; spackle and joint compounds; textured paints; millboards; vinyl wall papers; insulation; floor tiles; sheet flooring; mastic; cement pipe fittings; pipe insulation; paper tape and putty. Depending upon whether the units have furnaces and the age of the furnaces in those units, you may also find asbestos around the furnace firebox, and possibly in the ducts. Those units may have been built identically, but they may also have undergone extensive modifications by the owners over time. It's not possible to say that if you sample one, you have an accurate picture of what's really in each unit.