…Once the old hospital was vacated and the clinics, offices relocated, the demolition was scheduled. I had to make sure to be there. I wanted to see it and be part of the history. I got to watch with other team members from the parking lot across the street. The crane was in place and a large metal ball was attached to a heavy duty steel cable. I was so glad not to have class today and be part of this event. The crane in place, it raised the weighted ball to be in line with the center copula, the highest point of the old hospital, and with a force the bricked framed wooden structure would succumbed to, he swung it towards the building.
… The minute that weighted steel ball crashed into the center copula, my heart thumped hard in my chest! However, my amazement was even more intensified when a colony of bats flew out of the falling bricks and lumber. “Wow, Holy shit!!!” That is all I could say. Somebody grabbed my arm, others were laughing, and I was too busy looking to see where the colony was headed. They disappeared over the hospital…. The Facility Administrator was quick to point out that a colony of bats that large probably left a rather large pile of guano. I had no idea what he was talking about. The Nursing Supervisor informed me the pile he was speaking of was bat poop. No worries now because it was buried within the construction debris.
… I thanked God the wind was blowing at my back as the created dust cloud blew northward and dissipated. The Street, John R, was blocked between Willis and Brady, and a large bulldozer was scooping up the debris almost as fast as the building was crumbling from the smashing. Two large double tandem dump trucks were parked on John R and the bulldozer operator loaded them quickly. I could tell this operation wasn’t his first rodeo and he loaded those trucks in no time. As they left, another group of trucks pulled up, the smashing continued, and those trucks were filled. I was in total amazement. This was a well developed plan. Somebody really thought this one through.
…I was glad to be invited to watch this. The Facility Administrator asked me “what I thought of the process.” All I could say to him was, “it’s a lot of work.” He smiled and said, “when you bake a cake you have to crack some eggs.” I always remembered that and it stuck with me to this day. It was a foreshadowing of my 15 year career with the Detroit Medical Center. However, I didn’t know it at that time. When the demolition was completed, a tall fence was erected around the site, and the crew secured two large gates as well. They could be swung open when needed giving direct access to the site. They definitely knew where we were located in the heart of the city. Security was never an issue. The many attempts of disturbing that security was. My Life’s Story To Be Continued…… Proverbs 13: 14-20
MJ-Way 