SPRINGFIELD – The city has received two grants that will allow officials to move forward with the redevelopment of the problem property that once held the Massachusetts Career Development Institute.
The grants, which total $400,000, come from the state’s One Stop for Growth program and will help prepare the now-vacant land at 140 Wilbraham Ave. for future use, said Brian Connors, deputy development officer for the city.
The larger $300,000 grant will pay for site readiness, allowing the city to do engineering and planning. The second grant, for $100,000, will fund environmental testing, he said.
The property, which measures 2.5 acres, has been vacant since 2021 when the city tore down the building owned by the troubled job training program, following multiple fires, one of which was set by children.
“We are working with the neighborhood councils,” Connors said. “We are running all kinds of ideas with the neighborhood and seeing what sticks.”
The property has been an eyesore in the Old Hill, McKnight and Upper Hill neighborhoods for more than a decade.
It was once owned by the scandal-plagued nonprofit career institute, which closed in 2013. The organization had long been known as a patronage haven for the politically connected and in 2003 it was plunged into a federal corruption investigation.
The executive director was eventually convicted on four fraud counts and sentenced to federal prison. Three other employees were also found guilty on federal charges. The agency tried to continue under new management and limped along for several years while its grant funding decreased.
After the institute closed in 2013, the building was essentially abandoned and the city was left with a “zombie” property that deteriorated and created a hazard for the neighborhood. A 2016 fire that heavily damaged the building added to the woes.
The remains of the building were set on fire multiple times after that, including twice in two weeks in 2021 before the city could finally tear down the structure.
After years of legal wrangling the city was finally able to take control of the property and tore down the building in 2021 to the relief of the neighborhood.
The City Council approved the grant in a 12-0 vote on Monday, saying they are happy to see progress being made to reuse the site.
The only concern was the $100,000 grant would not be enough to cover the environmental testing needed, but Connors said the cost for testing needed a property that size is estimated to be $75,000.
“This should give us enough money to do what we want to do,” he said.
