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February 9, 2017
Diocesan safety consultant refutes Holyoke building inspector’s determination of church damage
REGIONAL
Staff report
HOLYOKE — In a sharply worded response to Holyoke building inspector Damian Cote’s recent determination on the structural integrity of the former Mater Dolorosa Church, Robert Kirchherr a certified safety professional and principal with the firm O’Reilly, Talbot and Okun Engineering Associates, has disputed Cote’s finding and assertions.
In a letter dated Feb. 1, 2017 and released to local news media prior to being provided to the diocese, Cote rejected the findings of structural engineer and architect Bernard Hunt, who a week earlier, in compliance with Massachusetts law, notified Cote of his analysis based on a thorough review and determination that the risk of the steeple structure failing, represented a clear safety risk to the public.
Cote followed up the initial presentation with an onsite inspection, in which he was accompanied by Holyoke Fire Chief John Pond, along with a deputy chief and the assistant building inspector, none of whom are licensed structural engineers. Cote, in his Feb. 1 letter, cited the weight of those involved with the inspection as proof of the stability of the steeple.
In his own letter, dated Feb. 9, Kirchherr rejected that argument.
“In your Notice of Determination, you stated that ‘most if not all of the areas in question are due to a lack of routine maintenance,’” Kirchherr wrote. “You also indicated that these conditions are ‘simple and low cost maintenance issues.’ These are totally inaccurate statements.
“You also implied that the dead load from the added weight of five adults during our inspection of the steeple is an indication the steeple is safe, which is also an inaccurate assumption,” Kirchherr continued. “Although dead loads are always a structural concern, Dr. Hunt identified and described how the brick structure is more robust at the bottom as one would expect at the base of a steeple.”
Since the church was closed in 2011, the diocese has repeatedly cited concerns over the steeple’s structural integrity. Since then, three separate firms have inspected it: Barry Engineers and Constructors, Inc., Engineering Design Associates, Inc., and Neal Mitchell Associates. All three firms identified dangerous conditions in the steeple as defined in the Massachusetts Building Code, Kirchherr stated.
He went on to again summarize Hunt’s professional finding.
“One of the major structural concerns we discussed is lateral forces on the steeple during normal wind events. The structural system designed to support the steeple (wood beams and steel rods) has failed. As we discussed, typical lateral wind forces against the steeple with a failed system increase the risk of a complete or partial structural collapse.
“You are clearly overlooking this dangerous condition. There is no preventive maintenance that would have prevented or can correct this structural failure,” Kirchherr wrote. “By ignoring the assessments of structural engineers and refusing to recognize these dangerous conditions which would allow immediate demolition of the buildings, you have endangered the public’s safety.”
Kirchherr also expressed serious concerns over Cote’s denying a request to permit a standard 8-foot-high fence around the parameter of the building and another building scheduled to be demolished, the former Immaculate Conception parish hall in the Flats neighborhood.
Kirchherr reminded Cote of past building collapses in Holyoke, including the Essex House and former State Armory.
“Frankly, I am shocked at your responses especially with the history of structural building collapses in the City of Holyoke. As a safety professional, I urge you to reconsider and allow the Diocese of Springfield to install an 8 foot high safety construction fence around both properties for the protection of the public, and to allow the Diocese to eliminate the dangerous conditions both buildings pose to the public safety by allowing immediate demolition,” Kirchherr wrote.
The diocese held out the possibility it might seek other actions should Cote refuse to issue the emergency order.
The full text of Robert Kirchherr’s letter, including photos of the damage, can be read at this link: