MONTAGUE — Trinity Health of New England will start environmental hazard abatement work at the former Farren Care Center as early as November in advance of its planned demolition, according to Assistant Town Administrator Walter Ramsey.
Ramsey’s message, conveyed to the Selectboard on Monday, followed a conversation between himself, Town Administrator Steve Ellis and Eric Dana, regional operations director for Trinity Health, the Farren’s parent company. Trinity Health previously deemed the former long-term care facility on Montague City Road unfit for preservation in a condition assessment that Trinity Health has declined to share with the town.
The company issued a demolition recommendation in November 2021 and affirmed its decision in April, but no demolition permit had been filed with the Building Department until Oct. 12.
The Farren closed in April 2021, having essentially merged with a similar facility in Holyoke called Mount St. Vincent Care Center. All of the Farren’s 105 residents were reportedly offered space at the Holyoke facility. Trinity Health has maintained that the Montague City Road building was too old for its purposes and would be too expensive to update to modern standards.
Asbestos abatement, “a significant element of the project,” could take upwards of three months as part of a 10- to 12-month broader abatement stage, according to Ramsey.
Ramsey also noted that the town’s new demolition delay bylaw “has been triggered” because it meets the definition of a “historically significant building.” In accordance with the bylaw, the Historical Commission is tasked with holding a public hearing within 45 days of the demolition permit’s filing. Here, residents and prospective redevelopers will have the opportunity to pitch ideas before the Historical Commission decides whether to delay demolition.
Demolition is expected to cost more than $5 million. Should the company proceed with demolition plans, Trinity Health intends to give the property to the town.
The town also has “several opportunities for preservation of ancillary elements,” according to Ramsey. This includes a pavilion, a gazebo, trees, pillars, monuments, plaques and markers.
“My understanding is that many of the religious aspects will be removed or be retained by the family,” Historical Commission Chair David Brule said during a Historical Commission meeting in April, referencing the descendants of the Farren’s architect, for whom the building is named. The Diocese of Springfield would have the option to keep religious artifacts, according to Trinity Health.
Brainstorming Monday evening, Selectboard Chair Rich Kuklewicz proposed that “some sort of a structure or even a cooking place” could be made out of bricks repurposed from the Farren. This, he said, might be a productive and innovative way to preserve historically significant material, particularly from the oldest part of the facility.
The largest preservation opportunity involves the three-quarter-acre plot at 356 Montague City Road. Trinity Health has offered to spare the property’s 2,676-square-foot office building and give it to the town, Ramsey reported. A former psychologist’s office and residential space, the building was built in 1937 and expanded in 1980. It is currently assessed at $213,400 and “in good shape and suitable for productive reuse” for office or residential purposes, according to Ramsey.
“We do see potential in adaptive reuse for this structure in putting it out to the market, probably through (a request for proposals) process,” Ramsey said during Monday’s Selectboard meeting. “I do think that it would be an easy property to get back on the tax rolls and back into active reuse, which is important for the village.”
Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-772-0261, ext. 261 or jmendoza@recorder.com.