In an emergency session Friday, the Haverhill City Council granted Mayor Melinda E. Barrett authorization to spend up to $5 million to take down the fire-ravaged mill on Stevens Street.
The vote came after Barrett told councilors the trust that owns the vacant mill building informed the city through its lawyer that it did not have “the capacity” to pay for demolition. Barrett said she has since requested financial help from the state and the city has already begun the legal process to recover what it can from the property’s owner. Besides the demolition expense, the mayor explained other costs are also mounting.
“Our fire department has used in excess of three million gallons of water, 820 gallons of diesel fuel, and spent over $30,000 in overtime between the initial fire and now,” Barrett said.
If money is not forthcoming from the state, the city will be forced to borrow, Barrett told WHAV after the meeting
Barrett said the April 28 fire reached temperatures between 1,200 and 1,800 degrees, enough to destabilize the building’s major structural steel girders and walls. She said an independent report by a structural engineer indicated the building could collapse at any time.
City Solicitor Lisa T. Mead told councilors she does not believe the city had other options, but to take down the building. She noted the city continues to accrue overtime for both a fire and police watch until the building is secured. Furthermore, businesses on Stevens Street will not be allowed to open until the danger from a building collapse passes.
On a question from at-large Councilor Thomas J. Sullivan, Mead said the city received several demolition bids, but did not disclose the names of contractors. She added the city’s best estimate is demolition and related costs will not exceed $5 million. If they do, the mayor must return to the City Council for additional spending approvals.
Ward 1 Councilor Ralph T. Basiliere shared the sentiments of his colleagues in supporting the measure. “We really have no choice except to go this route. Correct? It’s either do nothing and let it get worse or take this emergency action today and start to solve this problem,” Basiliere said.
Barrett said the state Department of Environmental Protection will supervise the demolition and cleanup due to the hazardous materials on the site including asbestos. She said it will be taken down to the foundation.
At-large Councilor Colin F. LePage and Ward 3 councilor Devan M. Ferreira were not present for the rare afternoon meeting. Ward 6 Councilor Michael S. McGonagle attended remotely, but abstained from voting because his son owns a business on Stevens Street.
Three teens were charged with starting the early morning, April 28, fire, just off Lafayette Square along Little River that turned into a three-alarm blaze and required round-the-clock monitoring.
Haverhill has a complicated history with the vacant property, running the gamut from despair over fires and related costs to possibly welcoming about 700 apartments and a restaurant. The mill was a site of another set fire in September 2015.