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Selectboard to hear rehab plans for distressed properties
By Allan Stein
allans@eagletimes.com
SPRINGFIELD — The owners of buildings at 69 Park St. and 15 Furnace St., which the town has deemed unsafe, have been invited to present their rehabilitation plans to the selectboard on Monday.
Ray Thibeault of Sixty-Five Park Street LLC in Springfield, contractor for the property at 69 Park St., and Kenneth J. Reynolds of Springfield, owner of the building at 15 Furnace St., will present their cases as to why the enforcement orders should not commence.
Both buildings were damaged by fire.
"Specifically, you are requested to describe what you have done to remediate the problem, what plans you have to complete the remediation, and a firm schedule of work to be performed," said Town Counsel Stephen S. Ankuda in Nov. 30 letters to both property owners.
In the town's July 20 signed enforcement order, the poor condition of the building at 69 Park St. "constitutes or creates a fire hazard."
"The property has parts of it which are so attached that they may fall off or injure members of the public or property," the order reads.
The town has given Thibeault 60 days from the date of the order to demolish a side addition and porch and to repair the remaining foundation.
The property at 15 Furnace St. is also in a structurally unsafe condition that is "dangerous to life, safety or the general health" of the town.
"The building further has improperly distributed loads upon the floors or roofs of the same are overloaded or have insufficient strength to be reasonably safe for the purpose used," the enforcement order reads.
The order, however, said that the visibile sag in the back side of the building and a porch section, as well as the foundation, can be repaired.
Both hearings are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. in the town office building at 96 Main St.
The Select Board has had an "Unsafe Building" list now for approximately three years and what has been done? Nothing from my perspective! All we keep reading about is public meetings and owners' excuses as why they have not been able to accomplish anything. Meanwhile, this fire traps continue to stand despite the fact that the voters gave their assent to set up a fund that was supposed to be used to start tearing these properties down. As a voter in this town I am disgusted with the inaction and continued excuses on this issue.
ReplyDeletePublius
Oh, sure
ReplyDeleteThe list is used to create an illusion of action on the part of the town. In actuality, very little changes. The town hires leaders without vision and elects select boards steeped in complacency. Therefore, the core issues afflicting the town go largely unaddressed in favor of little boutique, symbolic actions which create "news" but few concrete results. It is truly a shame.
ReplyDeleteYou might want to show up at the 12/28 (tomorrow, 7 PM) meeting to see whether your charges still hold up. It's going to be very interesting.
DeleteThe chronic inaction of the selectboard speaks for itself. I may well be there to witness first hand who the obstacle is, and publicly call them out. No prosperous community in North America tolerates the myriad of eye sores this rat hole is infamous for.
DeleteWe're not prosperous. If you watch this blog it's amazing how many people want the town to leave them alone. No thought for their neighbors.
DeleteA legal process must be followed that protects individuals rights. This is after all private property.
ReplyDeleteThe selectboard is what needs rehab.
ReplyDeleteStart coming to the meetings. The selectboard is trying. They have to maintain decorum but citizen's can just emote. 7pm.
ReplyDeletere: "The selectboard is trying."
ReplyDeleteBS! Based on the approved ordinance, the citizens of Springfield voted in majority to fund the demolition of condemned properties. Yet the selectboard refuses to act upon the will of the majority. Either we have an enforceable ordinance or we do not. And if not, the town attorney that authored it should be replaced.
As usual, people complaining about inaction from a selectboard, who - ironically, do the same with useless whining and crying on a free blogspot page, each week, ad nauseum. "I may just go....call them out publicly".....Yeah SURE you will. Keep typing, really making a difference.
ReplyDeleteWould appear once again responsible property owners took one in the butt. All three slum mongers on the agenda were granted a pass on demolition by partially removing debris or the most minimal, amateur repairs. Meanwhile, the adjoining properties continues to depreciate because our feckless selectboard wont make tough decisions or enforce deadlines. Least anyone cares, the condemned property on Carly Road remains untouched.
ReplyDeleteAnd Valley St, and Wall Str and...
DeleteI thought Valley Street and Wall Street were stuck in landowner appeals to the Superior Court? Can the Town take action while their order is on appeal?
DeleteAll this blaming...think of decent housing as the foundation of people trying to have a productive life and focusing on recovery from mental illness, addiction, etc. Then visit the apartments these people are forced to live such as Ma and Pa's on river st. How can people make a life for themselves when the only housing they can afford is disgustingm my guess is anybody reading this would be mortified if they saw the conditions people have to live in because they are poor or have a disability.please contact the owners and ask for a tour of their apartments which mostly house people with.mental illness. Ask yourselves how you would feel if you werw forced to live in these apts. Springfield needs to step up and provide clean safe housing for people who are in need.
ReplyDeleteA couple of issues here:
ReplyDelete1. Half the households in Springfield could only get a loan through the most generous government program to buy a house for $84,000. The most recent closing price average has been $113,000, while the average asking price has been $138,000. Clearly, ownership is not going to be an option for a lot of people, and we might face a Ma & Pa future.
2. Demolition is going to cost somebody something. The town voted to spend $100,000 to demolish 4 houses. Unless a fair number of commenters on this site change their mind about town taxes, it makes sense for the selectboard to give owners elbow room to save the houses.