DETROIT – The state of Michigan and the city of Detroit are investigating a demolition contractor after a weekend tip reported a massive rubble pile on Detroit’s west side.
Detroit has had a problem with illegal dumping for a long time. There’s something different though with the debris in question. There’s a massive mound of junk including broken cinder blocks, bricks and dirt debris that extends for more than a city block and reaches at least six feet tall. It is filling the space of the city alley.
Detroit police and the demolition department don’t know when it got there, but they do know the contractor who put it there and they want the rubble pile gone. It’s in a rented lot off Livernois near Lyndon.
LaJuan Counts heads up the demolition department.
“The property is being rented by one of our demolition contractors so that’s how we associated it with demolition in general," Counts said.
The company is Samlley Construction of Jackson and it could face significant fines.
“Our main goal is to make sure that we’re providing a safe environment for our residents and the fact it’s there we did not know about it was not authorized to be there," Counts said.
Local 4 spoke with Smalley Construction’s owner, Joe Smalley, and he said it’s all fill from Detroit demolition foundations and that it’s all recyclable. He said he was in the process of getting it out.
He said he’s been a longtime contractor in the demolition program and works hard to get things right. He said he’s working on getting a stockpile permit. He also said the material has been tested and there’s nothing dangerous in the pile.
He said it’s valuable once it’s been through recycling.