Spruce Manor demolition part of Central St. cleanup

Date: 11/23/2010

Nov. 24, 2010

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor

SPRINGFIELD -- The city took another step in cleaning up the Central Street corridor last week with the demolition of the former Spruce Manor Nursing Home at the corner of Spruce and Central streets.

The clearing of the vacant building goes along with two other developments: the renovation of city-owned lots on Central Street into a green space ready for potential development and the construction of several new single-family homes.

Sarno said the builder of those homes has a purchase and sale agreement for one of them in place.

Standing at the demolition site, Mayor Domenic Sarno said not only would the nursing home come down but also an abandoned home next to it. On nearby Clark Street, three buildings that housed a foundry would also be cleared within the next 30 days.

Geraldine McCafferty, the city's director of housing, explained the concentration of small projects, such as the ones along Central Street, within a smaller area, could create "a ripple effect" in the Maple High Six Corners neighborhood.

The $330,000 demolition was funded through federal neighborhood stabilization money.

"In order to build hope and build a vibrant neighborhood, we have to attack blight," John Judge, the city's chief development officer, said.

Once the demolition is completed, the area will be fenced in the same way as the other city lots on Central Street and planted with grass. The city plans to send out a Request for Proposal to developers in the future, Sarno said.

The demolition crew started taking down the former nursing home that has stood vacant since 1999 from the rear of the building. In the courtyard there were piles of mattresses and, as the walls were carefully torn down, the rooms were seen still filled with furniture.

The city has also been renovating Johnny Appleseed Park between the Maple High and Forest Park neighborhoods as well.

The city has spent about $1 million on demolition this year and Sarno said that the apartment block at 188-190 Locust St. in the South End will be the next demolition project for the city.

Sarno said his administration is working on neighborhood redevelopment as well as efforts to revitalize downtown.

Judge said the demolition of the former Asylum nightclub building on Main Street is being scheduled around holiday activities in order to have the least possible effect on businesses.

When it comes to neighborhood redevelopment, Sarno said, "I'm impatient and I want to do more."