Doing The Right Thing...The Right Way
Mayor Dave Bing's well-meaning effort to raze abandoned houses in Detroit has stumbled out of the starting blocks.
The Department of Natural Resources and Environment said the city began demolition last week without testing for asbestos, a carcinogen commonly found in many older Detroit structures. The city also failed to notify the state of its demolition plans as required by federal law, which is another serious violation, said DNRE spokesman Robert McCann.
I can accept that administrations make certain mistakes, but a couple of things about this screw up still annoy me. First off, how does city government just ignore or "forget" what should be an obvious health risk to the people who live around these abandoned homes? Isn't checking for hazardous materials in derelict old homes a precaution that should fall under "standard operating procedure?"
Second, under no circumstances should we ever hear the current administration say that it did something a certain way simply because that's the way the slipshod Kilpatrick administration handled things previously.
They blamed the foul-up on their decision to follow what they say was the practice of ex-Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's administration of demolishing buildings without testing for asbestos or giving the state advance notice.
"We know from this point forward that the way we operated status quo in the past is unacceptable," Carla Henderson, director of Buildings and Safety Engineering Department, said Monday.
Cut that out. Now.
Still, the effort does reflect the seriousness of the city about moving on the mayor's plan to demolish 10,000 homes over the next four years, and I can respect that. But it also highlights the potential danger in a way of thinking that Detroiters too often fall into, an attitude that says that our desperate straits mean we should embrace whatever policies and practices are dropped at our feet, no matter how disorganized, premature, insensitive, costly or wrong-headed. Yes, we absolutely need our leadership to act swiftly and certainly on matters like crime and blight and education. We need for them to do the right thing -- but we also need them to do it the right way.
I worry about this in our troubled school system, where our children are caught between fools who'd cling to the status quo and tough-talking administrative saviors who've so far only added to the district's budgetary burden. I worry about this as we discuss land management in the city, where we often are dead certain about what needs to be torn down but devoid of concrete and realistic plans about what should go up in its place. I worry about this as we flail about in search of new industries upon which we can refashion our image, knowing that we've got to move full speed ahead toward the future but also anxious about who gets left behind in a city where only 11 percent of residents have college degrees.
Ultimately, of course, we do have to embrace change, do have to accept that getting better sometimes feels as awful as getting sick. Like burnt-out buildings tottering on a vacant lot, failed traditions and stale ideas need to come down forcefully. But we've got to be careful about how we go about making the change that we desire. Not unlike Mayor Bing's effort to raze those homes, we've got to be certain that, in our admirable push to help this city, we don't wind up doing any more harm instead.
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Demolition Contractor's Paradise!
Maybe we could get the Japanes to build a few more Zero's and use them. Might be more fun to watch. If they use incindearies we could call it fair and square.
Seriously, Asbestos was used in the mid 20's into the 30's. Sometimes the fibrous powder was poured in between the studs.
The earlier houses might not even have much by way of insulation at all.
So I would be more worried in other areas of the City that were constructed later.
I have heard some scientists spoof the asbestos concern especially when it is imbedded in tiles and cement. The concern would be properly placed for the factory workers but they certainly would no longer be around to attest.
Hopefully one of the contractors will slip and level the incinerator.
Bill
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Why was this public knowledge or news??? How come this could not have been handled in the usual intragovernmental manner?
What drives this need to ridicule and demonize public governance in the city?
Since on 11% of residents in the city have college degrees what accounts for the incompetence in Lansing and Suburban government?? What accounts for the same insanity in private industry where college degrees run amok??
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I actually think that this is just a holdup on the progress of Detroit moving forward. First of all, have you seen the houses that are on that list? They are already halfway to the ground. Once they demolish them, the still leave the rubble there (at least so far) and it only looks a little better, but at least it's no longer a danger (crackheads, fires, or murders). Those houses need to come down immediately, and the fact that there is an administration who want to do that badly, is a scarcity. For that reason alone, I am a p.o.'d that someone threw a wrench into this positive movement toward a better Detroit. Secondly, people set those homes on fire, and instead of asbestos dust, there's asbestos smoke everywhere, followed by asbestos water damage and litter everywhere, with possible explosions that actually reach every house within 4 blocks, and the charred remains STILL STANDING, asbestos and all.
I'm not scared of the asbestos in these demolitions. But let me add that I am a proponent of the administration doing it right, and I am on that bandwagon that hates the air in Detroit already, with the incinerator, with the soil, and in the water. I agree with the poster before me who said it's a contractor's dream: thus, hire the right people with active quality control in place already.
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This blog is so right on it's scary. Scary because I wonder why this person isn't in office taking care of business but these other people are. Why is it that no one in the city thought about asbestos? This is standard construction procedure and I don't know who poster #1 is, but I have a feeling they aren't really an architect or they'd know that and not condone such unsafe practices by justifying them. And why aren't these politicians surrounded by advisors who tell them the correct, standard and efficient ways to do things? Who exactly are in these offices? And what does any of this have to do with the suburbs poster #2? That seemed like a stretch no matter which way you look at it. The truth is all of this "act first think later", while possibly altruistic in intent, only hurts our city. And it's not only hurting our image in the media, but hurting our environment, our citizens and our productivity. I think the school board is getting faced with this realization right now with their construction bond and complete lack of forethought. But muddle on we must, because everyone is ready for change.
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This shouldn't be surprising. In 2001, Adamo Construction demolished a DPS-owned building behind Burton's Cass campus without removing asbestos. Burton had to move because their building was toxic. To this day, Adamo continues to get public demolition contracts in the city of Detroit. Absolutely disgraceful.
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Detroit leaders should ignore the paternal intervention of the state recently our state supreme court treated the city voters like road kill by not demanding that the DPS return ill gotten property taxes without the city voters approval.It is quite apparent our state leadership has little regard for anything that comes out of the city including plans to change.....
Change requires regrets only not permission or consent...
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The Freep just reported( Please note my comment yesterday) a deal was made between DNRE and Detroit to continue demolitions!!!!!!
I love being right.....lol,lol,
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When I went to Detroit a few weeks back, it was about 11 pm when I was having dinner at the hard rock downtown. As a New Yorker, I expected to not only see taxi's driving all over each other in traffic but to see some sort of active movement that reminds me I still am in a city. As I stood in the middle of the circle, I started looking left right up down... one old ford driving around along with some candy wrappers. The first thing I told myself was "this place has absolute potential" and the second I finished that sentence, I immediately followed it with "this city needs a complete reform on its administration."
Dave Bing has absolutely no idea on any of the stuff he is doing right now. He hasnt laid out this plan at city hall, he hasnt made this public ahead of time, hasnt got the proper licensing and hasnt changed public transportation routes ahead of time. Somebody please get this foolish man out of power!
- <a href="http://twitter.com/TheDetroitHouse" target="_blank" class="beforetweet">TheDetroitHouse</a> After a year of learning, observing and understanding, TIME says goodbye to Detroit. Podcast: All Good Things... http://shar.es/0V3I7 - 2 years ago
- <a href="http://twitter.com/TheDetroitHouse" target="_blank" class="beforetweet">TheDetroitHouse</a> Our Donation to Detroit http://shar.es/0FX2T - 2 years ago
- <a href="http://twitter.com/TheDetroitHouse" target="_blank" class="beforetweet">TheDetroitHouse</a> Read Kristy Erdodi's "How Detroit Became My Sexy City" http://bit.ly/9zG13z - 2 years ago
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