Pittsfield officials target six properties for demolition

PITTSFIELD -- As it has since the 1970s, Pittsfield's dilapidated housing demolition program is gearing up again with the return of warmer weather -- targeting the worst of the worst vacant properties.

The lengthy, expensive demolition process for a half-dozen properties is now at the bidding stage for removal or nearing it, according to Robert Cornwell, community development specialist with the city.

"I feel pretty confident that within the calendar year we will be able to demolish those properties, maybe more," Cornwell said.

One quickly obvious fact concerning the city's long-running effort to deal with vacant properties is that, given unlimited funding, many more vacant lots might be the result.

Cornwell and City Planner CJ Hoss said a number of officials from the Community Development Department, Health Department, Fire Department, Building Inspection Department and the city solicitor's office meet periodically to discuss properties with violations, especially those vacant or abandoned. They ultimately recommend a list of the worst properties to the mayor for funding approval.

On the list currently, Cornwell said, are 57 dwellings with state Sanitary Code or Building Code violations that apparently have been vacant for some time. This is a "watch list," Hoss said, meaning that at some point, given funding for demolition, the city would move to raze the building if the violations continue.

Cornwell said the city is seeking a

He said the average for a dwelling demolition is about $30,000, including a technical assessment identifying hazardous materials like asbestos and creation of specifications for bidders and for removal of debris to a certified disposal site.

The city this fiscal year, through June 30, has $100,000 in Health Department funds and another $58,000 in Community Development Block Grant funding for demolitions, with the prospect of new funding in the next city budget that could be used this calendar year, Cornwell said.

The city has primarily used some of its federal CDBG funding since the 1970s for demolition of dilapidated properties to combat neighborhood blight, he said.

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Pittsfield officials target six properties for demolition