The city has identified 75 buildings in need of demolition, but a former official said safety and quality of life require faster action.
Former city councilor Terence Murphy stands outside a boarded up apartment building on South East Street in Holyoke. HOLYOKE – The winds whipping through the area lately make it easy to imagine the loose bricks atop 620 South East St. falling on someone’s head.
The vacant, three-story apartment building has been gutted by two fires since late 2008. Along with the debris visible on the roof, a pile of bricks lines the sidewalk.
The structure in South Holyoke is among the hazards the city should get around to demolishing, former city councilor Terence Murphy said recently.
“This is just me saying, how do we not deal with these things?” Murphy said.
“I know it’s not easy. I’ve been there. But this has got to be talked about. Some money has to be provided,” he said.
Murphy gave a tour May 25 of properties he believes need to come down.
Tax Collector David Guzman said Friday city records show 620 South East St. is owned by Maria Bemben of that address, but he said it was unclear where she lives. Efforts to each Bemben were unsuccessful.
“We don’t know. The address we have is the one at the property,” Guzman said.
More than $26,000 in taxes is owed at 620 South East St. and the city has liens on the property, he said.
Mayor Elaine A. Pluta said that the city is aware of the problem posed by 620 South East St. and that her administration has a citywide demolition plan.
The city uses $500,000 in federal Community Block Grants to raze two or three buildings a year, she said.
“It’s on our radar,” Pluta said.
Murphy was on the City Council most recently in the early 1990’s when it was called the Board of Aldermen. He has made the plea over the years for the city to mount a larger-scale plan to demolish blight, which he said would increase public safety and rejuvenate neighborhoods.
Murphy pointed out two other problem buildings: one at Pine and Hampshire streets, another at Chestnut and Essex streets.
The three areas he chose were not by accident. Each is in the shadow of a multimillion-dollar project, which Murphy said should spur officials to want to continue the renewal by taking down eyesores to help all parts of a neighborhood.
“Once you start doing one thing, there’s going to be a mushroom effect and people are going to say, ‘Hey, I want to live there,’” Murphy said.
The building at 620 South East St. is near the $168 million high performance computing center going up on Bigelow Street.
The one at Pine and Hampshire streets overlooks an $8.1 million senior center being built at Beech and Sargeant streets.
The building at Chestnut and Essex streets is diagonally across from where a $14.5 million renovation is underway at the Holyoke Public Library, 335 Maple St.
The city has about 75 abandoned buildings, Senior Planner Karen Mendrala said.
Taking down an abandoned building can be complicated for a city or town. Courts require that efforts be exhausted to find the property owner before a building is razed.
Municipalities also try to get the property owner to refund the city if a building must be demolished, but that’s difficult if an owner can’t be found or refuses to pay.