Mayor Cockrel on the Michigan Central

From: "Kenneth Cockrel" <Kenneth.Cockrel@detroitmi.gov>

Date: March 14, 2009 4:00:27 AM GMT-04:00

To: <XXXXXXX@XXXX.com>

Subject: Re: Demolition of Michigan Central Station

Hey XXXXXX,

I want to begin by thanking you for your e-mail.

You raise valid points that I want to address.

Here's the problem. Manny Moroun, the owner of the Michigan Central Depot, has already shown that he has no intention of taking "care of his OWN
building with his OWN money" as many have suggested..

Nor can Detroit continue to wait for him to grow a conscience. His building has been an eyesore for the better part of 30 years. It is also a major safety hazard.

Do not forget that a dead body was found in an attached warehouse about two months ago - something that made the front page of the Detroit News.

Our plan, if accepted is to use stimulus dollars to target this and other large structures that are arguably beyond repair. If the Obama White House accepts this Detroit would use the stimulus dollars as upfront cash to demolish these structures. Following that, we would pursue legal action against the owners to recoup the demolition costs.

So in essence, though tax dollars would be used to take down these buildings up front - the owners would still end up paying at the back end because they would be forced to reimburse these costs to the City.

This is actually identical to what the city does now with owners who fail to maintain single- family homes that are beyond repair. We knock them down and bill the owner.

So why don't we do the same with the Train Station you may ask? The answer is that the costs of demolishing a structure of that size up-front is so massive it would exceed the city's entire demolition budget for a single-fiscal year

I have seen estimates for demolition of the Train Station that run as high as $14 million.

If approved, the use of stimulus dollars to demolish such structures would give us the ability to go after massive eyesores.

Personally, I would like to see structures like the Train Station rehabilitated and placed back into productive use of some sort. This is the other value of reciept of stimulus dollars for this purpose.

If the owners of large structures who have been scoffing at our laws know that we have the financial means to demolish their buildings that can be used as leverage to force them to get off their duffs and develop viable plans for putting these structures back into productive use AT THEIR OWN COST where possible.

Under this scenario everyone wins. The building is salvaged and put into use and the city can direct its funds elsewhere.

I hope this addresses your concerns.

Sincerely,

Ken Cockrel, Jr.
Mayor