CHICOPEE — During the City Council meeting on Aug. 6, Mayor John Vieau discussed two appropriations to the building department special account to allow for emergency demolition/emergency security.
The City Council unanimously approved the two appropriations after some lengthy discussions.
The first appropriation was for $45,000 for improving security for 165 Front St. or Cabotville.
Vieau said there is a prospective new buyer who is very interested in the building, but the current owner has not been keeping up with the security expenses and the city has incurred that expense.
He added, “We have had numerous meetings with the Fire Department, the Building Commission and our attorneys and we feel it is the best interest of our city to protect that asset with the continuing of the security that was ordered by the court and we are hopeful to see a prospective new owner in the future, but in the meanwhile, we will also lean this property and try to recoup this funds.”
According to the attorney at the meeting, the current owner said they are broke and don’t have any money, so the city has taken it upon themselves to pay for it and a lean is already on the property.
The building is a part of a former mill property, Cabotville Mill Complex, that houses several businesses but has many vacancies.
In 2022, Vieau announced that all tenants at the Silverback Mills Building, formerly known as Cabotville Industrial Park, must leave the property immediately due to the property being deemed structurally unsafe by Chicopee.
Fifty-five businesses had to vacate the three buildings at 165 Front St. and at the time, Silverback Properties entered an agreement to put the building on fire watch after also failing to maintain the fire sprinkler system.
Building Commissioner Frank Boron said the $45,000 has already been spent out of the emergency management fund that his department has so he is trying to replace those funds for other things they do in the Building Department.
Once approved, Vieau said they will be leaning the property with a court order.
The following appropriation was for $90,000 for the same reason and property but Vieau said it is a more long-term commitment by potentially bordering up the whole first floor of the “770,000 square foot building if this is going to be a long-term commitment on behalf of the city and the taxpayers. We want to maintain security.”
Ward 1 City Councilor Abigail Arriaga was wondering if the building is going to be boarded up anyway, why they need to keep spending additional money before that and start that process now.
City Council President Frank Laflamme said that when it does sell, he heard Vieau mention the city will get their money up front first.
He added that he is in favor of the project for public safety purposes but will talk to Vieau more about it to make sure the city will get reimbursed.
Ward 9 City Councilor Mary Beth Pniak-Costello said this building goes back a long time. In January 2022, the City Council discussed giving the property owner special permits.
“It’s been back and forth, and the money just keeps going out but the public safety issue is paramount here. At one point there was a security guard that was there, I don’t know if that is still taking place. Security is what we’re looking at here and here we are two and a half years later and we’re still talking about security of this building. Something has to be resolved here. It’s been a cash cow for too long,” she said.
Fire Chief Dan Stamborksi, who also sits on the meetings regarding the property, said nothing is currently definitive with the buyer but there is a security company on scene.
He said, “The Building Department been doing an amazing job. We had a couple issues from a lightning strike with the panel in that building and they had it repaired immediately. With them being in charge versus the, what I call an absentee owner over there, I think it’s the appropriate thing to do right now.”
With the building also being over 700,000 square feet, it’s the equivalent of 700 ranch homes and Stamborski said, “If it ever caught fire, it would be very dangerous, and we all hope it comes to a resolve soon.”
City Councilor At-Large Timothy Wagner said after talking to Boron, the property is costing Chicopee over $4,000 a week so he voted yes, but doesn’t want to see it on the agenda for City Council again.
He added, “They are going to blow through this money before they even think about boarding it up. I don’t see this coming back before us because at that point, we should just be taking that property. This should not be in the hands of someone who is just going to sit on it and drag this process out because he’s vindictive. It should not be happening.”
Ward 7 City Councilor William Courchesne said he hopes the city moves forward with option two “sooner than later.”
