Resident Fed Up With Disrepair of Former Riverside Hospital

Evidence of disrepair can be seen from nearly every vantage point surrounding the former Riverside Hospital property.

Broken windows pepper the outside of the main building while wildly growing weeds, trees and shrubs seem to be trying to cover up obscenities drawn onto windows from within.

Wendy Pate lives near the blighted property. She said she's seen children throwing rocks at and breaking windows, weeds growing out of control and people breaking into the building.

On Monday, Pate took her complaints to the regularly scheduled Trenton City Council meeting where she told mayor and council members she was fed up with the blighted property and demanded something be done.

"Our property values have, obviously, dropped and I feel our area has, maybe, taken it harder because of being sandwiched between two blighted areas," Pate said.

Pate added the former McLouth Steel property is also responsible for reduced property values.

Mayor Kyle Stack told Pate Trenton officials are currently working with high-ranking officials from Henry Ford Health Systems to solve the problem.

The property was purchased about two years ago by Iqbal Nasir, chief of staff at Oakwood Southshore Medical Center, who planned to turn it into , but a .

Trenton City Administrator Jim Wagner told Pate representatives of Henry Ford Helath Systems and Nasir are set to meet at the regularly scheduled city council meeting July 2, and he anticipates a resolution to the restriction at that time.

"We beleive that we may have worked out some type of deed modification for Henry Ford (Health Systems) to offer Dr. Nasir," Wagner said. "Hopefully, on the July 2 meeting we'll have Henry Ford (Health Systems) and Dr. Nasir here before the honorable council and mayor to sign that deed modification and Dr. Nassir will go forward, and you'll see some progress."

Like many Trenton residents, Pate considers the property to be key in helping transform Trenton's downtown district.

Pate said efforts to secure the property and cut down overgrown vegetation have been ineffective in the past. She said she saw an elderly mad attepting to pull weeds by hand, but the effort was fruitless.

Stack said she is concerned about children breaking into the property.

"I'm really upset that the kids are going inside because they don't know how dangerous that is," Stack said. "We don't need any accidents happening."

Stack reassured Pate city officials are working on the issue and would keep her informed.

Pate said she plans to attended the next council meeting beginning at 8 p.m. Monday, July 2.