A purchase agreement has been reached with Hampden Bank, owner of the long-vacant building at 76-84 Elm St., to purchase that property for $145,000.
Demolition work on the Block building at the corner of Elm and Arnold Street in Westfield, shown here last week, has been completed.WESTFIELD — Now that the Block Building has been razed, city officials are now focused on the purchase and demolition of the adjacent building at 76-84 Elm St.
City Advancement Officer Jeffrey R. Daley said this week a purchase agreement has been reached with Hampden Bank, owner of the long-vacant building, to purchase that property for $145,000.
Demolition of that building, which poses a safety risk because of deterioration, is expected in early November, Daley said. A section of the building’s facade fell to the sidewalk last month cause minor injuries to a construction worker. The property has since been fenced off preventing public access.
The Block Building was razed last week.
Both buildings have been targeted for demolition for more than a year as part of the city’s efforts to revitalize Westfield’s Downtown. Demolition will clear a section of Elm Street from Arnold Street to Church Street Commons for new development.
The $145,000 purchase will be financed with city surplus funds and federal Community Block Grant funding targeted for blight removal.
Daley said the city is seeking access to the building, pending the purchase, to assess environmental issues such as asbestos tiles and other possible hazardous materials that must be removed before demolition can begin.
The City Council approved a $125,000 emergency appropriation to finance demolition of the Block Building and 76-84 Elm St.
Following demolition of the bank property, the city will begin environmental clean up of soil at the site with $480,200 in grant funding from Mass Development.
A contract with Geeleher Enterprises of Southampton, the low bidder at $172,525 for environmental cleansing, is pending.
Redevelopment plans for that section of Elm Street could include a public transit terminal, community police station and space for Westfield State University.