ATHOL — Athol Building Inspector Robert Legare sought guidance Tuesday from the Conservation Commission on how to handle the demolition of a house with a basement that spans a running stream.
The two-story house at 954 Hapgood St. was listed as unsafe in 2013 and marked by the town with a large red “X” cautioning firefighters against entering the building in a fire.
Legare said the town plans to tear down the building, and he has sent out samples to test for asbestos. The results are pending.
The town will do preliminary site work, but the asbestos abatement, if needed, and demolition work will be put out to bid, said Legare.
“The house was built across the brook,” he said, “and sits a couple feet above it.”
The stream is roughly 10 feet wide in the area under the house, and flows year round, coming from the small rockwall waterfall and through a culvert under Hapgood Street.
The house has been inhabitable for many years, with broken and boarded-up windows, a rotted and crumbling foundation, siding that is peeling off, open doorways and overgrown foliage. The building was constructed in sort of a “step” configuration.
The front of the house faces Hapgood Street, with the first floor at ground level in the front. From the side view, the rear basement level can be seen built into the embankment with part of the basement extending down a few feet, and spanning the stream. Open windows reveal an old refrigerator and rotted wood beams and other debris strewn around inside. Fallen boards and siding, in addition to branches, are visibly jamming up the stream directly under the house.
Wetlands Agent Ward Smith suggested the town use netting and timber to prevent debris from getting into the water.
Conservation Commission Chairman Robert Muzzy said the best approach might be to install a culvert to keep the water flowing while demolition takes place.
Legare said he would like to start the project as soon as possible. The Commission said it could approve an emergency order, but that would give the town only 30 days for the demolition. The normal process would require the filing of a notice of intent and notification of abutters, followed by a vote of the Conservation Commission. It is a lengthy process, as the board meets once a month.
“By then you’re getting into high water,” said Smith.
An emergency order would allow the Commission to issue an order of conditions and the work can begin immediately. It was agreed the first step is to await the asbestos test findings.