6 FCHRA 0.80 6,080 FCHRA Institutional Structurally Sound
7 Railroad Salvage 2.16* ~56,090 Private Vacant Advanced Ruin
8 Railroad Salvage Annex 0.75 5,300 Town of Montague Vacant Structurally Sound TOTAL 11.04 ~396,130
* These properties were not included in the total acreage because Building 11 has not yet been subdivided from the Strathmore Mill Complex and the Railroad Salvage is currently owned by a private party
The District Vision Plan considers seven parcels in an approximately eleven-acre District (Table 5). The Town owns three of these parcels. The remaining parcels are owned by four separate entities. Turners Falls Hydro, LLC owns Strathmore Building 9 as a condominium where it operates a historic water turbine that generates power which is sold into the grid. NewLeaf conducted a site visit on September 28, 2016 with the Montague Town Planner, Mr. Walter Ramsey. The following sections will discuss each of these properties with respect to redevelopment feasibility, utility service, access, and circulation.
Map 7. Existing Conditions of the Turners Falls Canal District
1) FIRSTLIGHT OPEN SPACE
Figure 24. Mills of the Montague Paper Company c. 1891 (Museum of Our Industrial Heritage, n.d.)
The FirstLight Open Space property is a three-acre parcel located at the
northern-most tip of the District. The property is privately owned by FirstLight Power Resources, a hydroelectric company who owns and operates the Turners Falls Dam and Power Canal. Currently, Firstlight is under negotiations with a Canadian Company, PSP Investments, a potential buyer of the Hydroelectric facility. As a large energy producer, Firstlight is subject to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) licensing process; the existing license expires in April 2018.
Historically, this property was significant to the Native American populations who inhabited the area due to its proximity to the “Great Falls,” a popular fishing spot.
In 1871, Colonel Alvah Crocker of Fitchburg, MA and Edwin Bulkley of New York constructed the first building of the Montague Paper Company on this site (Figure 25).
By 1891, the mill had more than quadrupled in size. In 1937, the mill was razed to make
way for the Turners Falls-Gill bridge; it has since existed as open space. (Museum of Our Industrial Heritage, n.d.).
Figure 25. Maintained landing of FirstLight Open Space property
FirstLight was unresponsive during NewLeaf’s initial stakeholder interview outreach process. The spectacular views and access to the Connecticut River are vital amenities that will hopefully draw the community and visitors to the property. The FirstLight Open Space could be used to honor the Native Americans through a cultural park. Connecting the past, with future uses of fishing, landscape plantings, boating, and interpretive signage could be an effective way to increase a sense of place.
Figure 26. River access path on FirstLight Open Space property
2) INDECK PROPERTY
Figure 28. The Indeck coal cogeneration power plant was in operation from 1989 to 1996
The Indeck Property is a 3.19-acre parcel located at the northern end of the District, adjacent to the FirstLight Open Space. The property, owned by the Town, retains some of the original foundation, an important factor for potential future
development. The foundation remains once supported Indeck Power Plant (1989) that provided electricity and thermal energy for the Strathmore Mill complex and the southern end of the District. When the Strathmore Mill closed, the power plant was no longer needed and in 2006, its energy producing machinery was deconstructed and sold (Livability Plan, 2013). The decommissioned coal silo is also a part of this property, and serves as an important landmark and historical remnant in the District.
The Indeck Property is ideal for short term implementation of tactical urbanism.
potential collaboration with the Shea Theater. Furthermore, the over the course of time the existing coal silo has the potential to be used as an observation deck. In the
meantime, lights or artwork could really accentuate the prominence of silo and attract positive attention.
Figure 29. Indeck Property coal silo and remaining wall from across the Canal
Figure 30. Indeck Property coal silo and remaining wall from on-site
3) STRATHMORE MILL COMPLEX
Figure 31. Mills of the Keith Paper Company c. 1891 (Museum of Our Industrial Heritage, n.d.)
The Strathmore Mill Complex is a 1.9 acre parcel located in the geographic and figurative heart of the District. With the exception of Building 9 (Turners Falls Hydro, LLC) the entire property is owned by the Town. The Town became the lawful owner of the Strathmore Mill Complex in 2010, resultant of the previous owner's nonpayment of taxes; the property has been vacant since 2007. In total, the Strathmore Mill Complex contains ten buildings ranging in from two to seven stories, with a total floor area of approximately 224,000 square feet on 55,000 sq. ft. footprint. Historically, the
Strathmore Mill Complex was originally built by the Keith Paper Company in 1871 and
on the 2007 list of the ten more endangered historic resources by Preservation
Massachusetts. The Complex has been extensively studied by engineering and design consultants. Furthermore, any environmental contamination has been remediated.
Figure 32. Strathmore Mill Complex from IP Bridge
The stakeholder engagement process indicates that many property owners and potential developers within the District and Town have mix feelings about the
Strathmore Mill Complex. Some have alluded to the fact that the buildings are in total disrepair and a complete demolition of the complex is a realistic scenario. Others think more holistically, explaining that preserving the historic integrity of the buildings are important and would like to see them used accordingly in the future. The following uses and desires have been identified by stakeholders: light manufacturing, retail,
agricultural, and residential. Based on the property’s constraints, light residential, and smaller industry (no need for tractor trailers).
NewLeaf has assessed the Strathmore Complex both for future uses and selective demolition. The future uses should reflect the gradient of floor levels: lower floors have
Without the restoration/replacement of the Strathmore Pedestrian Bridge and provision of new utilities and infrastructure, the complex will not be capable of supporting future reuse. Our proposed selective demolition of less-historical buildings will decrease the overall building footprint and open up the space for other opportunities including parking infrastructure and recreation. With limited accessibility, handicap and small delivery vehicles can be allowed to access the site. Providing a loading dock area that connects to Building 3 should be considered so the site can adequately serve delivery vehicles. Ideally, the Strathmore complex is a prime candidate for renewable energy resources such as geothermal and photovoltaic.
Figure 33. Strathmore Building 1 from Building 10 Footprint
Figure 34. Inside Building # of the Strathmore Mill Complex
4) STRATHMORE BUILDING 11
Figure 35. Strathmore Building 11 in 1915 when owned by Keith Paper Co.
Strathmore Building 11 sits on 0.42-acres located between the Turners Falls
building is 32,280 square feet and it is owned by the Town. Building 11 was originally part of the Keith Paper Company. Today the building stands alone as the arson fire in 2007 destroyed the building’s connection (Building 10) to the Strathmore Mill Complex.
The building is seven stories tall. An art installation has been attached to the facade of the building. The building lacks critical connections to key infrastructure and the east wall in in need of significant repairs as it was damaged during the fire.
An RFP, submitted by Obear Construction has been accepted by the Town.
NewLeaf is in agreement with Obear’s vision for the property live/work spaces. During the stakeholder interviews, discussion of the Strathmore Pedestrian Bridges’ necessary replacement and innate relationship to attracting redevelopment was reiterated.
Overall, Building 11 is a critical element in the overall redevelopment of the District.
Much like the Railroad Salvage Annex, Building 11 could serve as the “poster-child” for the northern end of the District.
Figure 37. Rear view of the exterior of Strathmore Building 11
Figure 39. Interior of Building 11 of the Strathmore Mill Complex
5) TURNERS FALLS PAPER
Turners Falls Paper, is an active specialty paper company situated on a 1.4-acre parcel on the northern end of the District, between Building 11 of the Strathmore Mill Complex and the 5th Street/White Bridge corridor. Turners Falls Paper is a privately owned company that has undergone a few name changes in the past couple of years (e.g.
Southworth and PaperLogic). The 146,143 sq.ft building has remained active in the manufacturing industry since the establishment of the site. Turners Falls Paper has always remained a private company and depends on the Town’s municipal services.
Based on discussion with Turners Falls Paper management in 2016, the company's name recent name change signifies their desire to remain in Turners Falls for the
foreseeable future. Furthermore, as their ability to grow as a company is related to their overall sewage output, Turners Falls Paper is willing to make financial contributions towards the separation of their four-inch main that currently passes through Building 4.
NewLeaf supports the existence of Turners Falls Paper as it is emblematic of the District’s rich history; however, the establishment creates logistical issues for the future redevelopment of the District. Based on the nature of the business, Turners Falls Paper depends on tractor trailers to deliver and distribute finished goods. Canal Road is the only access point to their loading dock, for the trucks to adequately back into the dock, the trucks must cut off the flow of traffic from both White and the 5th Street Bridges.
This process creates potentially dangerous situations for pedestrians and/or cyclists and exacerbates congestion in the center of the District. Furthermore, due to the narrow width of the road (10ft) when trucks are in the loading bay, large emergency vehicles would be unable to pass by.
Figure 41. Turners Falls Paper from the Canalside Rail Trail