Easthampton is hoping to go out to bid soon for Pleasant Street mills infrastructure project.
EASTHAMPTON – The City Council wanted to wait for final documents before considering an easement agreement between the city and Pleasant Street mill property owners.
The council has set a Sept. 4 public hearing on the agreement that will require a two-thirds vote of the council to be approved.
City attorney John H. Fitz-Gibbon said there was some minor tweaking, and he wants the council to have the final documents before voting.
The council also decided on Wednesday to conduct the hearing to give residents an opportunity to comment. The City Council Property Subcommittee had on Tuesday supported moving the matter to the full council for a vote.
City planner Jessica Allan said the agreement is moving right on time. The city needs to have the document signed so bids can be sought for the project.
The MassWorks Infrastructure Program last fall awarded $2.75 million to help Michael Michon, owner of Mill 180 on Pleasant St., Will Bundy, owner of Eastworks Mill, and James Witmer, owner of the Brickyard, with their proposal to connect their buildings and flip the buildings' entrances to open on the side facing the Manhan Rail Trail instead of Pleasant Street.
The money will be used for needed infrastructure improvements, which require the signed agreement. The first phase of the project will address the major safety concerns by upgrading water lines and burying electric lines.
Allan has said the city is planning to apply for additional infrastructure funding to complete the work.
The property subcommittee also considered possible uses for the former Parsons Street School and continued the discussion for another meeting after residents raised concerns about how the building might be used.
Allan said the Planning Department will help in any way it can.
Mayor Michael A. Tautznik has asked the council to authorize the sale of the 111-year-old building.The council can restrict the use of the building if it does authorize a sale.
The School Committee in May authorized the building to become surplus since it is no longer needed. The site had been used for storage after closing as a school in 2003.
Tautznik said the city spends about $30,000 a year to maintain the building, and he'd like to sell it before winter.