Detroit’s Office of the Inspector General suspended Detroit-based demolition contractor Gayanga Co. after investigators found it was using contaminated dirt to backfill residential properties in the city.

Gayanga, along with its owner Brian McKinney, are suspended from doing work or receiving new contracts in the city for 90 days, or until the inspector general makes a final determination on whether the company should be barred from work. The inspector general on June 5 initiated the investigation, which alleges Gayanga used unapproved dirt from a Northland Mall redevelopment in Southfield. The suspensions are effective as of Thursday, Sept. 11.

A message seeking comment was left with Gayanga on Thursday, Sept.11.

Based on a preliminary review, the inspector general’s office requested the city’s Construction and Demolition Department conduct testing of the dirt, which found that the soil in more than 80% of properties Gayanga worked on failed to meet the state’s residential standards, according to a news release.

“As the agency mandated by the Charter to uphold honesty and integrity in city government and contracting, and given the significant health and safety concerns presented, we determine that it is in the public interest to suspend Gayanga and Brian McKinney from engaging in further business with the city,” according to a Sept. 11 news release from the inspector general’s office.

Gayanga has been awarded numerous contracts in Detroit, particularly for demolitions under Proposal N, a voter-approved bond to tear down 8,000 dilapidated homes and rehab another 6,000 homes. The company, in 2018, also pushed for more Black contractors and other minorities to have opportunities to take on large-scale infrastructure projects in the city following a Free Press investigation that found Detroit’s demolition program lacked diversity among its bidders. Following the investigation, the city saw an uptick in participation from minority-based contractors, though city officials also attributed those efforts to getting more companies certified.

Since seeing a surge of contracts, Gayanga has performed at least 1,000 blighted structure demolitions in Detroit, according to its website. The company also took part in preparing a 167-acre site for construction of the Port of Entry for the Gordie Howe International Bridge.

The company also developed a trade school in an effort to teach Detroiters the skills needed to handle underground utilities, heavy excavating, truck driving and demolition work.

Dana Afana is the Detroit city hall reporter for the Free Press. Contact: dafana@freepress.com. Follow her: @DanaAfana.