It's Official: Demolition of Scott Prison Approved

It's really happening: the former Robert Scott Correction Facility will be knocked down this year.

The Northville Township Board of Trustees approved a contract with a salvage company Thursday to demolish the former prison located at Five Mile and Beck Roads, according to the Observer & Eccentric.

According to the Observer & Eccentric article, the the Detroit-based Adamo Group will pay the township $1 for the contract. The company will be allowed to salvage all materials from the site in return.

Township Manager Chip Snider said the contractor could get an estimated $400,000 from the salvage, according to the Observer & Eccentric. They will be able to sell a large generator worth approximately $250,000, as well as steel, concrete and other materials.

The article states that Adamo has one year to complete the demolition, but Snider hopes the company begins work shortly after Easter.

Snider told Patch in February that demolition would take approximately 9 months to complete.

Snider previously told Patch that the demolition project would be appealing to contractors because the prison fence acts as a natural barrier to trespassers.

"They can keep their equipment inside and protected, as well as keep the building protected when it's in a demo state," he said. "So having a prison fence, as tired as we all are of seeing it, will become beneficial for the demolition project."

The prison was shut down in 2009, and the township bought the property from the state for $1 in September.

The township is still finishing cleaning up a couple of legal stipulations, getting the state and city of Detroit to agree to not use their right of first refusal to take back the property.

>>Read more about the legal stipulations of the prison property.

The Township has not yet made a decision on what the 53-acre land will be used for after demolition. Ideas range from from a recreational park to retail to a lightweight industrial park.