Opposition LetterFLORENCE CENTER TO BE CLOGGED WITH ANOTHER PILE OF BRICK,
RIGHT IN THE CENTER OF THE VILLAGE AND RIGHT ON THE SIDEWALK?
I LEFT FLORENCE IN MARCH OF 1986, AFTER 24 WONDERFUL YEARS IN
THE CLOTHING AND FOOTWEAR BUSINESS AND REBUILT A'GO WEST'
BUILDING INTO A 23 ROOM ROOMING HOUSE, PLUS MY STORE.
MY FIRST BUILDING ON #11 N. MAPLE STREET WAS TORN DOWN AFTER
MY FIRST 7 YEARS, WHEN I PURCHASED THE PROPERTY ON #1 NORTH
MAIN STREET, AND MOVED MY CLOTHING BUSINESS TO THAT CORNER,
OPENING THERE ON 9/20/1969, THUS BRINGING MY STORE ON TO
ROUTE 9 AND A MUCH BETTER LOCATION.
THE DAY OF MY PURCHASE THE CITY OF NORTHAMPTON OFFICIALS DID
PRESENT ME WITH A LETTER OF CONDEMNATION, BECAUSE OF THE
BAD CONDITION OF NEWLY PURCHASED PROPERTY, AND SAID THE OLD
BUILDING AT ONE NORTH MAIN STREET, MUST BE DEMOLISHED AND
THE FALLING DOWN BUILDINGS THAT ABUTTED NORTH MAPLE STREET
COULD STAND?
HAVING BEEN TOLD BY THE LANDLORD ON NORHT MAPLE OF HIS PLAN
TO DEMOLISH MY FIRST LOCATION, LED ME TO PURCHASING #1 NORTH
MAIN STREET PROPERTY, SO WITH THE CONDEMNATION OR THE NEW
PURCHASE, THSE FACTS DIRECTED ME TO MOVE OUT OF FLORENCE OR
WHATEVER THEIR PLAN FOR ME WAS?
IN MY DILEMA, I WANT TO CITY HALL AND VISITED ALL PEOPLE THERE
WHO WOULD LISTEN AND TOLD OF A MEETING AT 10:30, THURSDAY
AM NEXT AND WE COULD GO OVER THE ENTIRE BUILDING TO FIND A
REASON FOR THEIR CONDEMNATION? A VERY GOOD REPRESENTIVE OF
OFFICIALS CAME AND WE INSPECTED, THUS IN A FEW DAYS, I WAS ONE
PROUD MAN WITH A BUILDING PERMIT TO RENEW THE ENTIRE
PROPERTY AND TEAR DOWN THE POOR STRUCTURES ON PROPERTY IN
DUE TIME AND GIVE VENT TO MY PLAN FOR REBUILDING STRUCTURE
AT NORTH MAIN STREET AND MAKE IT INTO A BEAUTIFUL STRUTURE
FOR CLOTHING & FOOTWEAR AN EVENTUALLY, THE ROOMING HOUSE
IN ONE GREAT OLD BUILDING!
FROM PURCHASE IN 1968 UNTIL LATE 1973, MY EMPLOYEES AND
YOURS TRULY LABORED IN ALLTYPES OF WEATHER, WINTERS AND THE
SUMMERS TO FINALLY COMPLETE THE JOB. CONTRACTORS REFUSED A
GREAT JOB BECAUSE OF THE HEIGHTH OF THE BUILDING? SAID THEY IN
TIME, COULD WORK A FEW LESSER STORIED BUILDINGS, AND MAKE
MORE MONEY! SO, FOR FIVE YEARS WE LABORED, WITH KNOWLEDGE
OF CONSTRUCTION, TAUGHT BY OUR FATHERS, AND THE BLOOD,
SWEAT AND TEARS, THAT WE EXPECTED FROM THE BEGINNING. WAS
IT WORTH OUR TIME AND EFFORT? YOU BET IT WAS AND WE ENJOYED
THE RESULTS, UNTIL IT WAS TIME TO ENSTALL THE "GO WEST" MURAL,
AND CITY OFFICIALS FOUND FAULT WITH THAT, SINCE IT WAS TOO BIG
AND WAS NOT A PART OF THE BUILDING, UNTIL WE LAGG SCREWED IT
TO THE BUILDING. WE WERE TOLD TO TAKE IT DOWN, AND I OFFERED
A LADDER AND EQUIPMENT FOR THE CITY TO TAKE ACTION, BUT NONE
WAS EVER TAKEN, AND THE "MURAL" HUNG ON THE FRONT OF THE
BUILDING FOR OVER 30 YEARS!
COMMON SENSE, IS NOT A COMMODITY WELL USED BY MANY ON THE
JOB TRAINING, OFFICIALS, AND THEY MAKE IT DIFFICULT FOR PEOPLE
IN BUSINESS TO DO GOOD THINGS? I HELD MY GROUND, SUCEEDED TO
ACCOMPLISH MY MISSION IN FLORENCE, BUT THE CDC PROCEEDED TO
UNDUE SOME VERY INTERESTING FEATURES OF BEAUTY IN THEIR TIME,
WHEN TRYING TO GO BACK TO LATE 1800 ER'A, WITH BIG MONEY?
NOW WE HAVE A PLAN FOR MORE BRICK BLOCK BUILDINGS TO HUGG
THE STREET IN THE MIDDLE OF THE VILLAGE, WHICH WLL SHUT OUT
THE SUN AND LEAVE LITTLE ROOM FOR PARKNG OR SNOW REMOVAL
FROM THE SIDEWALKS?THE BUILDING PROPOSED WILL BE A GREAT
AND GOOD ASSETTO THE OWNER AND THE CITY TAX STRUCTURE, BUT
IS NOT A GOOD FIT FOR FLORNECE CENTER.
PLEASE LOOK CARFULLY AT WHAT THIS MEANS TO THE VILLAGE AND
ONE MIGHT LOOK FOR AN ALTERNATIVE, THAT WILL FIT INTO THE
AREA OF FLORENCE CENTER.
IT IS PROBABLY NONE OF MY AFFAIR TO SEE ANOTHER PILE OF A RED
BRICK, PILED IN THE CENTER OF A GOOD VILLAGE IN NEW ENGLAND,
BUT HAVING WORKED AND LABORED FOR FLORENCE AND THE CITY, IT
DESERVES ANOTHER LOOK, AND ONE MAY SEE A NEW PICTURE?
TO CLOGG, THAT CORNER WITH THE STRUCTURE PICTURED IN PAPER,
MIGHT BE A REAL HAZARD IN THE FUTURE AND IS UNNECESSRY FOR
ANY BUSINESS IN THE VILLAGE. SINCERELY, DAVID E. WEST ,
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