Town officials hope to transform the former H.LaRosee & Sons factory at 15 Broad St. into a parking lot.
HUDSON — A crumbling, vacant Broad Street factory will likely be demolished sometime early this fall.
Selectmen on Monday approved a contract with J.R. Vinagro Corp. for the demolition and site grading of the defunct H. LaRosee & Sons metal plating factory at 15 Broad St. A pre-construction meeting with the Public Works, Fire, Police and Building departments will be held in coming weeks to discuss safety logistics, said Kristina Johnson, acting planning and community development director.
A date for the demolition has not been scheduled.
“It is anticipated that the demolition will occur sometime in early fall,” said Johnson.
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The town is aiming to transform the property into a parking lot. Downtown parking is at a premium — especially during busy weekend nights before the coronavirus pandemic hit. The site of the former factory is less than a half-mile from Main Street.
An environmental analysis of the property is needed before the land can be turned into a parking lot. The factory must be demolished to allow Woodard & Curran Inc. — an environmental consulting firm — to complete the assessment.
The firm began the two-part analysis of the site last summer. Woodward & Curran started the second phase of the study in the fall, but informed town leaders that it cannot complete the review until after demolition because engineers must test soil under the building. The second phase of testing includes soil samples throughout the property at 15 Broad St. Test results will determine the best course of action for the property.
Building owner David LaRosee plans to deed the property to the town, although he hasn’t yet. Hudson is owed about $120,000 in back taxes which, combined with interest and fees, total about $391,000.
LaRosee has given Hudson officials permission to tear down the building.
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The first portion of the environmental analysis included a review of the history of uses at the building and an assessment of the structure. That evaluation did not reveal any major issues.
The building — constructed in 1890 — was ordered closed by the town due to code violations. The facility still contained various chemicals after its closure. A chemical spill occurred in 2017 as crews were cleaning up the site. One chemical, leaking from a deteriorating barrel, was spilling onto another barrel. The chemicals never mixed.
The town was awarded a $400,000 grant from the state Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development last spring to demolish the dilapidated building. The grant covers the cost of the environmental analysis, demolition and will ensure any future use of the property is feasible.
LaRosee sold H. LaRosee & Sons to Worcester Manufacturing Inc. after the building was shut down. He has said he has no desire to fix the aging 24,000-square-foot building.
The company was established in 1905 and moved to Hudson in the mid-1960s.
Jeff Malachowski can be reached at 508-490-7466 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JmalachowskiMW.
