MONROE — An absentee building owner must demolish a sagging wooden section of an old mill building on the Deerfield River by month’s end or risk fines, jail or forced reimbursement of demolition costs, if the court gives town officials the right to take action.
The July 31 demolition order from the Monroe Board of Health requires Jeffrey Phillips of Pleasant Valley, Conn., to demolish the green wooden portion of the old Ramage Paper Mill by Aug. 31 or the Board of Health may file a civil or a criminal complaint against him in Housing Court.
“It is the finding of the Monroe Board of Health … that the green wooden portion of the mill complex constitutes an imminent hazard to life and limb,” says the order, filed by Regional Health Agent Glen Ayers. “This structure is in a state of advanced structural deterioration and has been condemned for over a year. It is likely that portions of the building will collapse and fall into the Deerfield River, a public resource area frequented by hundreds of outdoor recreators on an annual basis.”
The order goes on to warn Phillips that failure to comply and meet the deadline could result in a criminal complaint against him, a court order for enforcement of the demolition order, and fines of between $10 to $500 per day. If the town gets court permission to take down the building, Phillips would be liable for the demolition cost.
Phillips has the right to request a hearing by the Board of Health within seven days of the demolition order to give evidences as to why the order should be modified or withdrawn.
Recently, employees of TransCanada, which owns hydro dams on the river, have expressed concerns that the building has significantly deteriorated and could collapse into the river, resulting in serious pollution, and affecting downstream river use, including by kayak and rafting businesses.
“Our concerns are about the launch site for the Deerfield No. 5,” said Matthew Coles, referring to the hydroelectric facility just upstream from the old mill, and where whitewater rafters put in.
For almost a century, the brick and wooden mill complex produced paper. Phillips bought the building in 1996, according to court papers, and his “Monroe Bridge Holding Corp.” was dissolved by the Massachusetts Secretary of State in 2012. Earlier court papers filed to allow for an inspection of the property, said that town taxes for the building haven’t been paid since 1999 for the 4-acre complex.
A study of the site produced this spring by the engineering firm of Tighe & Bond estimates demolition will cost around $260,000 — because cancer-causing asbestos and other hazardous materials must be dealt with.
Because of limited vehicle access to the site, and the need to protect the river from any demolition debris, just the building demolition alone will cost about $125,000. Other costs include $45,000 for demolition design services, $55,000 for hazardous materials abatement and contingency funding for unanticipated factors in this complex demolition.