FeedsSalvage materials could help fund park
The former Northville Psychiatric Hospital might bring in some revenue to the township this year.
The township will contract with a salvage company to go through the buildings and tunnels to see what can be taken out and sold as scrap, said Township Supervisor Mark Abbo.
“There are components to this building that have value,” he said. “Before there’s any theft or destruction, we want to take advantage of it.”
The township has set up a steering committee since voters approved the millage that allowed them to purchase the property last year. That committee has come up with the beginnings of a management plan there that would involved volunteers maintaining the property until funds are available to develop it or open it up to the public.
Township Manager Chip Snider said this plan would help develop a budget for that. He said there is plenty of salvageable material that could be harvested with minimal effort.
“There is a lot there that could be just carried out,” he said.
There are 22 buildings on the property and copper cable ran from the power plant there to each one of them to supply electricity. Snider guessed there could be as much as 22,000 feet of 8-inch copper tubing that could be sold, depending on the actual amount and market rate, for as much as $200,000.
He said even when the property is developed, that wiring is unnecessary.
“They’ll never supply power that way again,” said Snider. DTE will just come in and put up poles, like they do everywhere else.”
Snider said the contract would probably go in front of the board of trustees in February. It would include the percentage the township would receive from the sale of materials. Snider said he would also use part of those proceeds to pay for a part-time township employee to supervise the operation.
He said the rest of the funds would go to support the park.
“We have no funds for the steering committee to use,” said Snider. “We have nothing. At least this will give them a fund balance.”
