Merrimack Valley

LAWRENCE: City, developer reach deal over sprinklers at former Wood Mill

By Jill Harmacinski
Staff writer
Published: February 21, 2008

LAWRENCE — Developer Robert Ansin met yesterday with officials in the firehouse instead of the courthouse to hammer out a sprinkler improvement plan for the quarter-mile-long Monarch on the Merrimack condominium complex.

Ansin, his lawyers, a sprinkler contractor, fire Chief Peter Takvorian and a fire inspector reached an agreement that Takvorian said satisfies public safety needs and allows Ansin to avoid criminal charges of failing to maintain a sprinkler system at the $200 million project.

"We are pleased. We needed to make sure we had a plan in place," Takvorian said after the meeting. He said the department would be dismissing its Feb. 5 application for criminal charges against Ansin.

Takvorian did not provide the details of the agreement, but stressed that the Fire Department was "now satisfied."

The chief said Ansin, to date, "has expended a considerable amount of money on the project."

"The best thing for the city is that work actually continues there," Takvorian said.

A 10:30 a.m. hearing was scheduled yesterday in Northeast Housing Court to determine if probable cause existed to charge Ansin, president and chief executive officer of his development company MassInnovation, with failure to maintain and tampering with a sprinkler system at the building.

A report written by fire Capt. William Lannon, a Fire Department inspector, this month revealed the city has had major concerns about the sprinkler system at the 250 Merrimack St. building since August, "when a financial crisis curtailed construction" at the Monarch project, according to the report.

Since that time, Lannon has been working with Ansin and sprinkler contractors to bring the system up to code. In the meantime, water pipes at the former mill building froze and paralyzed the sprinkler system.

On Dec. 27, a violation was issued to Ansin. Lannon then sought criminal charges against the developer on Feb. 5.

State law requires sprinklers in such large buildings, even during construction.

In a statement yesterday, Ansin said: "Today's dismissal shows that we have been working in good faith to protect the building and to bring the facility's sprinkler system back online as quickly as possible. Since November, 2007 we have spent in excess of $250,000 on the Wood Mill's sprinkler system, implementing a plan that had been previously approved by the Lawrence Fire Department."

Ansin said "over 1 million square feet of the building is currently protected and the remainder of the building is expected to be completed within 3-4 weeks. "

The statement further said: "It is unfortunate that an apparent miscommunication about the status of the project led local fire officials to issue a notice of violation; however we commend local fire officials for moving quickly and decisively to have all charges dismissed once they realized that we have been working diligently to bring the sprinklers back online."

Takvorian previously described Ansin as "cooperative" but said the Fire Department was concerned about his "rate of progress."

Takvorian echoed similar sentiments after yesterday's meeting.

"He has been working on the system right along. ... But it's the pace of the work that's been a concern," Takvorian said. The massive Monarch building measures 1,000,000 square feet. Built in 1905, officials said fire would rage through the building, formerly known as Wood Worsted Mill and nicknamed the Eighth Wonder of the World, due to its enormity.

Ansin wants to renovate the property into 600 eco-luxury condominiums.

Ansin bought the mill property in 2003 for $4.5 million. He spent $25 million of his own money on the first phase of the project before losing a $40 million loan last fall. A state investigation into possible asbestos violations at the site is ongoing, according to Joe Ferson, spokesman for the Department of Environmental Protection.

Staff reporter Jill Harmacinski can be reached at 978-946-2209 or by e-mail at JHarmacinski@eagletribune.com.