Residents wait on end of demolition to former GM plant

Windsor residents who live around the former GM transmission plant are hoping peace and quiet return to their neighbourhood once demolition work at the site is complete.

Work to demolish parts of the facility on the west side of Walker Road has been ongoing for at least a year most notably when crews needed several attempts to demolish the smokestack.

• GM smokestack still standing at old transmission plant
• 'Game plan' to bring down GM smokestack being set, after 3 failed attempts
• U-Haul buys former GM transmission plant, offers storage

But a spokesperson for Jones Group Ltd. told CBC News the work is now 75 per cent complete. Piles of rubble are neatly stacked at the site and it's possible to see the Renaissance Center in Detroit from Walker Road.

Marilyn Reid lives near the plant. She's lived there since 1955 and watched thousands of workers punch in to work at the plant every day. For her, it was emotional seeing former employees come watch when the demolition begin.

"It was hard to watch the people when they were going through that process, I'm sure everybody felt that way," Reid said.

At one time, GM was one of the biggest employers in Windsor with 7,000 employees. When it shuttered Windsor Transmission in 2010 and laid off 500 workers, it ended a 90-year relationship with the city.

Reid said she hopes whatever replaces the demolished portion of the factory will similarly affect a lot of people.

"It would be nice to see something in there that would benefit everybody. It might even be an apartment or could be a plaza of some type," she said.

John Dapoz is also ready to move on from the plant. His dad, who died recently, worked at the facility for 10 years. The continuing noise from the demolition work is aggravating his mom, who still lives nearby too.

"It's more or less of an eyesore to us. Hopefully they have some future plans," Dapoz said. "Whether it's residential or a retirement home, something that's good to people in this area."