The former Ford/Visteon/ACH plant, looking southeast from the corner of 23 Mile and Mound Roads (June 28, 2012).
Click here for a close-up view from a little farther south along Mound Rd.
Information regarding the demolition of the former Ford/Visteon/ACH Trim Plant located in Shelby Township, MI
The former
Ford/Visteon/ACH plant,
looking southeast from the corner of 23 Mile and Mound Roads (June
28, 2012).
Click
here for a close-up view from a little
farther south along Mound Rd.
The former
Ford/Visteon/ACH plant,
looking southeast from the corner of 23 Mile and Mound Roads (May
3, 2012).
|
An aerial view of the Visteon parcel,
which is outlined in red. |
On May 25, 2011, the Shelby Twp. Planning Commission approved a demolition permit for the buildings on the former Visteon site, provided that the petitioner (Indiana Metals, LLC) agreed to follow 32 conditions, which can be read here in their entirety: Page 1 | Page 2 Condition #1 was a point of contention that took almost one year to resolve. The petitioner felt it was excessive while the township wanted a financial guarantee that the petitioner would complete all of the demolition, including the final phases of removing all underground utilities, concrete floors and foundations. Eventually an agreement was reached whereby the proceeds from the sale of the valuable recyclables recovered from the demolished structures (approx. $2.5 million) would be placed in escrow and held there until the final phases of the demolition project (which generate little in the way of recycling value) are completed. Indiana Metals has hired the following local companies to work on this project:
|
Indiana Metals finally received their permit and demolition work began on Saturday, April 28, 2012, starting with Building #16 and working generally northward.
BDS Environmental collects air samples during each work day in order to measure airborne lead levels at the point of demolition and at points both upwind and downwind from the demolition activities. The purpose of this air monitoring is to insure that the level of airborne lead dust in work areas does not exceed the OSHA action level of 30 micrograms of lead per cubic meter of air. The air sampling is analyzed weekly and an updated report is sent to Indiana Metals with a copy also going to Fazal Khan & Associates, the Consulting Engineers for Shelby Township. A copy of the updated report is forwarded weekly by Mr. Kahn to the webmaster for publication here. So far, none of the air samples have contained measurable levels of airborne lead. Click on the link below to read the latest report (PDF file format, approx. 4 MB):
Sampling
and Analysis of Airborne Lead Dust - April 28 through May 8, 2012
(to date, all air samples have contained less than 1.0 micrograms
of lead per cubic meter of air)
VISUAL
PROGRESS REPORT
(all
photos by Mike Grobbel)
Panorama
of the eastern side
of the remaining northerly buildings as they appeared on Aug. 31,
2012 (click on photo to view full size, 2.8 MB).
The only remaining above-ground structures are the Curtiss-Wright
jet engine test cells (left), portions of the office building
along Mound Rd (not visible but behind the test cells) and the
powerhouse (right). The original Packard transmission building (the
building that was closest to the Mound and 23 Mile Rd.
intersection) was constructed out of reinforced concrete and has
been reduced to dusty rubble which is not being kept properly
wetted down as it is being processed for removal. This
image shows a
large cloud of dust that was being blown
about by the wind at the time this panorama was being taken. A
complaint was registered with the Shelby Twp. Consulting Engineer,
asking him to enforce Condition # 23 of the building demolition
permit which states "All rubbish and debris shall be kept
thoroughly wetted down to prevent dust and dirt from rising into
the air."
Panorama of the eastern side of the remaining northerly buildings as they appeared on Aug. 11, 2012 (click on photo to view full size, 2.0 MB).
Panorama of the eastern side of the remaining northerly buildings as they appeared on July 24, 2012 (click on photo to view full size, 2.1 MB).
Panorama of the eastern side of the remaining northerly buildings as they appeared on July 12, 2012 (click on photo to view full size, 2.2 MB).
Panorama of the eastern side of the remaining northerly buildings as they appeared on July 6, 2012 (click on photo to view full size, 2.3 MB; click here for a detailed enlargement of the exposed portions of the Curtiss-Wright jet engine test cells):
Panorama of the eastern side of the remaining northerly buildings as they appeared on June 27, 2012 (click on photo to view full size, 1.9 MB; click here for a detailed enlargement, 0.6 MB):
Panorama of the eastern side of the remaining northerly buildings as they appeared on June 21, 2012 (click on photo to view full size, 2.2 MB; click here for a detailed enlargement, 0.6 MB):
Panorama of the eastern side of the remaining northerly buildings as they appeared on June 14, 2012 (click on photo to view full size, 2.3 MB; click here for a detailed enlargement, 1.3 MB):
Panorama of the eastern side of all the buildings as they appeared on June 14, 2012 (click on photo to view full size, 9.2 MB):
Panorama of the eastern side of all the buildings as they appeared on June 7, 2012 (click on photo to view full size, 9.1 MB):
Panorama of the eastern side of all the buildings as they appeared on May 31, 2012 (click on photo to view full size, 8.1 MB):
Panorama of the eastern side of all the buildings as they appeared on May 24, 2012 (click on photo to view full size, 7.9 MB):
Panorama of the eastern side of all the buildings as they appeared on May 17, 2012 (click on photo to view full size, 8.5 MB):
Panorama of the eastern side of all the buildings as they appeared on May 10, 2012 (click on photo to view full size, 9.1 MB):
Panorama of the eastern side of all the buildings as they appeared on May 3, 2012 (click on photo to view full size, 8.3 MB):
This is what was left of Building #16 as of noon on May 3, 2012 (click on photo to view full size, 2.0 MB):
Mike Grobbel's notes from the meetings of May 25, 2011, March 12, 2012 and May 2, 2012
Demolition work on the site originally started in early May of 2011 but the Twp. issued a "stop work order" until a public hearing could be scheduled because the existing Twp. regulations did not comprehend a demolition of this magnitude. That public hearing was held by the Shelby Twp. Planning Commission on May 25, 2011, at which
the Twp. building and planning officials recommended that the Planning Commission adopt a site plan review process for the demolition request that determines and approves a step-by-step demolition process and sets clear conditions for that approval.
the Twp. building and planning officials recommended that upon completion of building demolitions in any heavy-manufacturing zone such as this, the site must be left in a "development-ready" condition and "environmentally clean".
the Planning Commission agreed with their recommendations and approved the demolition permit, subject to 32 conditions, which can be read here: Page 1 | Page 2
The buildings on this site contain floor space totalling 1.87 million square feet, all of which will be torn down.
The permit limits demolition work to between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Any modifications to these hours of operation requires approval by the Township Board.
On-site security will be maintained 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.
It will take approximately 12 weeks to demolish all of the above-grade structures on the site; 12 weeks after April 28, 2012 is July 21, 2012. It will take longer to complete the demolition of all concrete floors, foundations and selected roadways, plus the removal of contaminated soil and final grading and grass seeding.
The petitioner agreed that all building materials trucked from the site will proceed east on 23 Mile Rd. to the M-53 freeway and that they will not use any other roads in the Twp.
All existing underground services to the demolished buildings will be removed, along with all concrete building slabs and foundations. The former building sites will then be filled and graded to match the existing grades and then mulched and seeded with grass.
The petitioner stated that there will be no jackhammer type impact noises enamating from the site because they use excavators with "pulverizers" and "shears" on the end of their arms to crush concrete columns and cut steel I-beams.
During demolition, all debris will be wetted down to prevent dust and dirt from becoming airborne.
Demolition and disposal of any building materials on this site that contain leaded paint must be performed in accordance with Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations.
Day-to-day regulatory oversight of this project will be performed by:
Fazal Khan & Associates, Consulting Engineers for Shelby Township - adherence to the 32 conditions set forth in the demolition permit
MIOSHA - adherence to all construction worker safety and health regulations regarding exposure to noise and potential contamination sources during demolition activities.
Asbestos abatement will be performed by BDS during the initial stages of the demolition project in compliance with all government regulations. This work is performed in segments throughout the plant, with temporary barriers erected around the work area and the use of controlled air filtration. Contaminated materials are sprayed with water as they are removed from the work area and placed in sealed containers for transport to a hazardous materials landfill. BDS was hired in 2012 and had nothing to do with earlier asbestos removal work that resulted in a July 7, 2011 federal indictment of two contractors who subsequently pled guilty to violating the Federal Clean Air Act by improperly removing asbestos from this site.
BDS has installed a total of three air monitors in locations up-wind and down-wind from the demolition work sites. They will be monitoring for traces of lead dust to insure that the workplace is in compliance with OSHA regulations.. Weekly air monitoring results will be sent to Indiana Metals and Fazal Khan & Associates. Mr. Khan will forward copies of the weekly reports to Mike Grobbel so they can be made available on this web page.
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Last updated: 26 March 2014
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Grobbel (about me)
(contact)
49997 Lexington Ave. East, Shelby Twp., MI 48317
President - Board of Directors, Manors
at Central Park Condo Association
