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| State corrections cleanup at old prison camp |
| By mlive.com - Holly Klaft | Jackson Citizen Patriot |
| Published: 12/09/2011 |
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Michigan - A tall chain-linked fence topped with rings of razor wire slices through the rural landscape in Waterloo Township. Behind it are rows of decaying buildings marred by fire and vandalism and an overgrown yard that does little to hide the years of neglect at the long-abandoned Camp Waterloo. Graffiti and obscenities are scrawled across structures on the estimated 40-acre site, but the rubbish that once littered the ground is gradually disappearing. Prison work crews on Monday began clearing trash and scrap metal from the deteriorating former state prison facility, which closed 10 years ago and once housed 140 inmates on average. On Thursday, eight workers dressed in orange moved in and out of the camp’s buildings, removing cardboard boxes, paper, metal and other materials from their interiors. About six truck loads and $1,500 worth in scrap metal has been collected from the site so far and taken to OmniSource Corp. in Jackson, officials said. Seven buildings have been cleared out, but there are still more than a dozen in need of work, officials said. “They’ve been doing a lot of work,” said Department of Corrections spokesman John Cordell. “The more we can do through work crews, the less expensive it’s going to be for demolition.” The work has come as a relief to Waterloo Township officials and area residents, who complained that the site was an eyesore and called it a hazard and a magnet for vandalism. That eventually motivated state leaders into action. Michigan Department of Corrections Director Dan Heyns last week ordered a crew to begin working at the facility after he was approached by state Rep. Mike Shirkey, who relayed concerns about the camp’s decaying condition. Read More. |
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