Work Begins On Michigan Central Train Depot

DETROIT (WWJ) - It's been long-awaited, but work crews were busy on Wednesday finally cleaning up the exterior of the Michigan Central Train Depot just off Michigan Avenue at Vernor.

Danny Bennett, President and Owner of Professional Abatement Services Inc., lead the cleanup process and spoke with WWJ's Pat Sweeting.

"First things first, we gotta clean up the asbestos," said Bennett. "There is asbestos in the caulk and in the glazing.  The glass is broken; it's all mixed in together and all on the floor.  We're going to work on taking out the rest of the glass and clean up all the caulk so they can figure out what they want to do next as far as restoration."

Getting the first floor windows cleaned up, some of which Bennett said are forty feet tall, was his first priority.  Crews that wore hazmat suits and respirators carefully wet down the window frames, loosening the asbestos laden caulk and vacuuming it away.

Many cars pulled up to the front of the old train depot in downtown Detroit to snap pictures.  They also watched the crews at work remove asbestos contaminated caulk from window frames.

"There's a lot of people that are very happy that are driving by," said Bennett.

"They are very excited that Matty [Moroun] is stepping up, he's doing a great job, cleaning up the station.  It's just a start.  He's been doing a lot of different things on different properties, cleaning them up and it's been a pleasure being a part of that."

An earlier deal worked out between the Kilpatrick Administration and Detroit-area billionaire businessman Matty Moroun would have seen the Detroit Police Department moving its headquarters into the building, but that deal fell through.