For over 50 years, Home City Development staff have learned to expect unforeseen challenges with each new affordable housing development. One of our latest projects, the Elias Brookings Apartments (development of 42 residences), presented Home City with a unique challenge. Formerly the Elias Brookings School in Springfield’s Maple High/Six Corners neighborhood, the building was chock-full with items needed to operate a school. Everything had to be removed before renovations were to begin to transform the building to residential use. Home City Development offers a sincere thank you to the many people and organizations that helped us find an environmentally-friendly solution to this problem.
After the June 2011 tornado hit the school, the 1925 building was no longer suitable for use as a public school. A new Elias Brookings School was constructed nearby on Walnut Street and opened in 2015. In 2018 Home City Development purchased the former school building from the City of Springfield to rehabilitate, adapt and re-use the structure for 42 affordable rental apartments. But first the building had to be cleared of rooms full of books, lockers, desks, chairs, cabinets, computer equipment, televisions, and miscellaneous school supplies, left behind when the school was closed so abruptly.
The easy and costly solution was to load everything into dumpsters and send it to landfill. Because many of the building contents were in good condition, Home City Development sought to re-use or recycle as much as possible. First, we ensured that there were no hazardous materials posing a threat to workers or the general public.Then, through outreach and networking efforts, Home City Development discovered that there was great interest in salvaging building contents from schools, non-profit organizations, and businesses. In the process we made many new friends from Boston to the Berkshires. We donated furniture and educational materials and then recycled over 23 tons of material including: 9 tons of scrap metal; 8 tons of books; over 3 tons of cardboard and paper and over 3 tons of televisions, computers, and other electronic equipment. Another 24.6 tons of waste materials was removed from the building.
The work of clearing the four-story building (on hot summer days) was executed by the hard-working young men of the Springfield office of Roca, Inc. Home City Development was nominated for a MassRecycle Award and received an honorable mention.
With clean-out complete, construction is scheduled to begin in March 2021. Building completion and tenant occupancy is expected in 12 months.
Home City Development wished to extend its sincere thanks to the following people and organizations for their assistance in clearing materials from the former Brookings School:
Springfield Rescue Mission, Springfield, MA
The Springfield Renaissance School, Springfield, MA
Old Stone Mill Center Zero Waste Maker Space,
Adams, MA
The Thrifty Crow, Cummington, MA
Springfield Honors Academy, Springfield, MA
Belchertown State School Friends Association,
Belchertown, MA
Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity ReStore,
Westfield, MA
Black, Inc., Goshen, MA
EcoBuilding Bargains, Springfield, MA
Three Salamanders Design Studio, Cummington, MA
Phineas Bates Elementary School, Roslindale, MA
Camp Timber Trails, Tolland, MA
Fromagerie Madeline, Leominster, MA
Environmental Integrity LLC, South Hadley, MA
Mike Minicucci, Buried By Time Photography, Westfield, MA
David Manch, Silver Crescent Photography
Center for EcoTechnology, Northampton, MA
Boys & Girls Club Family Center, Springfield, MA
Northstar Pulp & Paper, Springfield, MA
Roca, Inc., Springfield, MA
A special thank you is owed to Leni Fried of Old Stone Mill Center and Abbey Massaro of Center for EcoTechnology for their knowledge, creativity, and inspiration in finding environmentally-responsible ways to recycle, re-use, and dispose of the surplus contents of a once-busy public school that suffered a natural disaster.