Little by little over the next three months, a Monroe, MI landmark - and an eyesore to many - will be removed from the city’s skyline.

Demolition work began this week on the powerhouse building at the former Jefferson Smurfit paper plant, the most prominent of several structures on the future River Raisin Battlefield site.

Crews took down one of the two rusted stacks atop the building and have since been breaking down other metal works on the hulking structure. The building is one of nine major parts of the demolition project that seeks to clear the former N. Dixie Hwy. industrial site to make way for an open battlefield.

Plans are to make the site into a historic tourist draw by reverting the lot to the way it looked when soldiers fought there during the Battle of the River Raisin in 1813.

"Picture it like a golf course," Port of Monroe engineer John Emig said. "Once the buildings are out and filled in, it will be a gently rolling grade with a drainage ditch for runoff and excess rain. The intent is to restore it to what one may have seen back then during the war."

The powerhouse building is the largest and most recognizable part of the former industrial facility, which was partially left in rubble after a 2004 fire. The blaze left the vacated plant a charred eyesore that was surrounded by leftover debris.

"Everybody involved will be happy once that comes down," City Manager George Brown said of the powerhouse building. "It's kind of symbolic of the whole project."

Demolition crews took to the grounds last month to kickoff the cleanup process, which included removal of an old water main and pick- up of debris.

The on-site work has been curtailed in recent weeks after an executive order from Gov. Jennifer Granholm froze the state grant meant to pay for the demolition contract. The moratorium forced city leaders to authorize a $270,000 transfer from water fund reserves to keep crews working on the site.

As a result, half of the construction crew from Homrich Inc. was pulled from the site and the work detail was reduced to minor cleanup around the main building.

The announcement last week that the grant money would be released from the freeze sent the crews back to the site.

Mr. Brown said state officials determined the project met some of the four conditions required to move through the moratorium. Those conditions mandated that the project was for public health and safety, would tie in federal funds or other money sources, boosted tourism or already had been in process.

However, the delay in the demolition process may force the city to pay extra to the Homrich Inc., which was already contracted to raze the powerhouse building for $700,000.

"There are some potential costs there because of the interruptions," the city manager said. "I suspect there will be some additional costs, but that has yet to be negotiated."

Additional phases of the demolition will be paid through a pair of low-interest loans the city applied for through state and federal cleanup funds.

The availability of the money also would dictate the future phases of the cleanup, since each of the nine parts in the overall plan were bid independently.

"They are all severable at any time separate of each other," city planner Matt Wallace said. "The biggest part is freed up though now that the grant has been opened."

Mr. Emig said it is not clear whether the delay with the grant would have any effect on the overall timeline for the project.

The demolition crews have a 90-day window to raze the powerhouse structure and water tower, though all of the other work is running independently of that. The whole scope is anticipated to be finished by 2008.

The engineer said the powerhouse section would be taken apart in pieces, instead of an implosion or other quicker method of demolition.

After the visible work of taking down the large structure is completed, other processes like asbestos abatement still would have to be done. Once demolished, the basement walls of the building will be dug out below grade and filled in.

The site is planned to memorialize the scene of the Battle of the River Raisin, where British soldiers and Indians clashed with Americans during the War of 1812. Hundred of American soldiers were killed during the battle and dozens more slaughtered the following day in what became known as the River Raisin Massacre.

The grounds will be studied by federal officials for possible inclusion into the National Parks Service. The Monroe County Historical Society also is planning to overhaul a neighboring building to create an interpretive museum.

The developments are aimed at creating a tourist draw for the bicentennial of the war in 2012. Most of those plans hinge on the demolition of the former paper plant.

Mr. Emig said, despite the freeze on the grant, most of the other steps in the demolition have gone smoothly.

__________________
Still just visiting? Come say Hello!