Page 52 - BusinessWest May 26, 2020
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 Westmass
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which almost left the mill in the protracted legal bat- tle over whether lease conditions were violated, but wound up staying and is now in an expansion mode, with work on a new beer garden slated to begin later this year.
For this issue and its focus on commercial real estate, BusinessWest takes an in-depth look at how Westmass intends to broaden its impact in the region by helping area cities and towns take complex proj- ects off the drawing board and make them reality.
Not Run of the Mill
Returning to that letter sent out to area commu- nities, it’s part of a larger effort on the part of those
at Westmass to create more visibility for the agency, make its expertise and resources known to more municipal officials and developers, and, in general, tell its story. A move downtown, to offices in Monarch Place, is part of that initiative.
brownfields.
That last category brings us back to Ludlow Mills,
which encompasses all three of those types of prop- erty. It is certainly historic — the mills played a huge role in the growth and development of Ludlow, and there is a large mix of brownfields and greenfields being redeveloped.
And with its experience in redeveloping the mill complex, Westmass has established itself as a leader of sorts in this kind of large, very complex redevelopment.
“This is the biggest mill in the region, and it’s very time-consuming and capital-intensive,” he noted. “But we’ve certainly experienced enough in this now that we can go in and help cities and towns with buildings like this, whether they’re mills or old dilapi- dated structures; we can help them go in and see what can be done.”
Often with such projects, environmental issues are a key consideration — and a major stumbling block, he went on, adding that this was certainly the case with Ludlow Mills. Over the past 11 years, Westmass
ing as well) for a new client that is transforming what was the late actor Christopher Reeves’ estate in the Berkshires into a mix of Airbnb and event space. He was also doing some work for Harold Grinspoon, one of BusinessWest’s recently honored Difference Mak- ers, who is, in addition to being a successful business owner and philanthropist, a prolific sculptor.
Known for his metal masks, Peters said he found Ludlow Mills at the suggestion of a few friends and colleagues who thought the space would provide him space to work — and grow.
“I was in Holyoke for 10 years,” he noted. “My space was starting to close in on me a little bit. I was invited to take a look here and found it had ample power, the price was reasonable, and there were already things going on here, like Iron Duke. I decid- ed I wanted to be part of it.”
The plan moving forward is to make the mill more of destination, which could attract many different kinds of businesses, said Daly, adding that, as noted, this is both a brownfields project — redevelopment of the old mill buildings — and greenfields, specifically
Other components, part of a new multi-year strategic plan being reviewed by the Westmass board, include a revamped, far more modern website and more extensive use of social media, said Daly, adding that many in the region believe Westmass is only in the business of developing industrial parks. That’s a big part of the mission, he noted, but it’s not the whole story.
“I was in Holyoke for 10 years. My space was starting to close in on me a little bit. I was invited to take a look here and found it had ample power, the price was reasonable, and there were already things going on here, like Iron Duke. I decided I wanted to be part of it.”
37 acres of undeveloped land which is drawing considerable interest and will certainly attract much more when a pri- vate road to that property, one of many priorities for Westmass at this site, is constructed.
Meanwhile, a $7 million project to construct a public road along the Chi- copee River, which will create frontage for several properties, should also put the mill property on more radar screens.
Overall, the evolving mix of tenants is “changing the dynamic” at the mill complex, said Daly, adding that, with
    And he wants to write more chapters
in the broad realm of consulting, where,
he believes, there is considerable room
for growth. That’s because of the wide
range of experience the agency can bring to the table, including assistance to both communities and devel- opers in many realms.
has applied for and received several million dollars worth of grants from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the state to clean the site and make it ready for redevelopment.
The latest EPA grant, totaling $461,000 (word of approval was just received), will enable Westmass to clean 10 buildings on the site with roofs loaded with asbestos, preparing them for eventual demolition and redevelopment of five to six acres of property.
“It was a competitive and comprehensive program that we applied for,” said Daly, “and we’re grateful to the EPA to get selected for exactly what we asked for.”
The property in question, just south of the Ludlow Senior Center, includes several of the stockhouses that populate the site. Some may remain standing, said Daly, but the ‘clean dirt’ that will result from demolition of those deemed unsavable will give West- mass a real opportunity to add to its eclectic mix of tenants in the mill complex.
That tenant base has evolved over the years, said O’Donnell, and now includes a number of storage- related ventures, several light manufacturers, the brewery, a battery sales and servicing company, the senior housing complex, and even a wholesale florist.
Then, there’s Peters, who has transformed one of the high-ceilinged stockhouses into a new studio. On the day BusinessWest visited, he was working on a number of wooden benches (he does woodwork-
the beer garden and tenants like Peters, who has a goal to create an artists’ gallery in his space, the mill does become a destination.
“Businesses like this are bringing people here after work, on weekends ... it’s not just a 7-to-3 manufac- turing facility anymore,” he told BusinessWest. “It’s driving a different economy of scale with who comes here and the money they’re spending. It’s a neat con- cept that we’ve stumbled into, if you will.”
Bottom Line
It’s the kind of concept that Westmass would like to help other area communities stumble into.
With those letters that went out earlier this month, as well as other initiatives undertaken recently to improve its visibility, Westmass is not exactly broad- ening its mission, but rather putting more emphasis on what could be called another ‘growth area’ for the agency.
It’s all part of a larger strategic plan aimed at making an agency that has been a driving force in economic development in this region an even more powerful engine. u
George O’Brien can be reached at [email protected]
 These include everything from business-improve- ment districts (la Cour ran the Amherst BID for many years) to district-improvement financing, one of Daly’s areas of expertise.
“When I started my own private business, it was
a shot in the dark because I saw what communities didn’t have and what developers were missing,” he explained. “And it proved to be very successful very quickly. I’m taking the same passion I had for that kind of work in my private practice and rolling it
into Westmass’ purview to help area communities, because that’s what we’re here to do — develop prop- erties, help communities, and create jobs.”
Daly said Westmass is targeting all communities west of Worcester when it comes to its consulting arm. And while smaller communities without eco- nomic-development staffs can certainly benefit from such services, larger municipalities can as well, and some already have.
The full list of areas for which Westmass can assist developers and municipalities also includes strategic planning for integrated project permitting, project financing and incentives, public procurement and grant management, and site acquisition and rede- velopment of historic buildings, greenfields, and
  EPLI
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your decision on the cost of the EPLI policy you intend to purchase. How many claims are made against your company? The more claims are report- ed, the more the policy will cost, and the higher the retention amount will be. The increased retention will have an impact on the company’s budget for the next policy period.
COVID has prompted myriad adjustments in the business world. EPLI is one of the expenses a company will want to examine to see if it is get- ting the most bang for its buck. u
Timothy M. Netkovick, Esq. is a litigation attorney who specializes in labor and employment-law matters at the Royal Law Firm LLP, a woman-
owned, women-managed corporate law firm certified as a women’s business enterprise with the Massachusetts Supplier Diversity Office, the National Assoc. of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms, and the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council; (413) 586- 2288; [email protected]
“
reported, the more the policy will cost, and the higher the retention
”
The more claims are
    amount will be.
  52 MAY 26, 2021
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