The February 2017 blizzard that buckled and closed Bowlmor Lanes in Mattapoisett will find another level of closure when the 22 County Road structure is leveled this winter. A conference call was held on November 21, during which public- and private-sector stakeholders articulated concerns with the logistics of the building’s impending demolition.
Assured by Ying Dynasty’s representation that the restaurant is perfectly willing to close for a day, Andy Bobola expressed gratitude on behalf of everyone else involved.
“That to me is really willing to step up to the plate,” said Bobola, Mattapoisett’s director of inspectional services who moderated Monday’s conference call. “Ying Dynasty is a seven-day-a-week business…. We need to limit the possibility of anything going wrong and having a business running through lunch and well after dark.”
Bowlmor, a regional hub for the sport since 1945, was condemned by the Town of Mattapoisett following a roof collapse that the owners attributed to heavy snow. “The trusses actually snapped,” recalled Bobola.
The sunken roof bowed out the sides of the building. Despite attempts to repair it, the building was still considered unsafe. Consideration was given to a rehabilitation project so that the business could reopen, but that ultimately did not happen.
Susan Penta represented the owner on the conference call. SMC Trust owns the building, and she is one of three trustees, along with Michael Penta and the late Angelo “Chick” Paolini. Ying Dynasty leases its space from SMC Trust.
Bowlmor Lanes currently sits in an empty parking lot, barricaded on three sides by chain-link fencing and on one side by Ying Dynasty. The conjoined buildings are painted lime green with brown trim. One day in 2021, no later than the February school vacation week, it is expected that Ying Dynasty will stand alone in that lot.
Logistics and safety are the main topics of concern, and there are many aspects to consider with a building demolition.
Bowlmor’s physical connection to Ying Dynasty rules out an implosion in favor of what Costello Dismantling Project Manager Hal Monsini described as a hydraulic excavator accompanied by a man in a lift operating a chainsaw or similar equipment separating loose ends as needed.
“The demolition will be discussed with the safest route possible exiting the site,” said Monsini, planning his entries and exits exclusively to Route 6. We shouldn’t have any mitigating dust in the neighborhoods or going over the streets. Once the building is down, said Monsini, there won’t be five or six trucks leaving the site, rather more like one or two trucks exiting every hour.
Mattapoisett Fire Chief Andrew Murray sought information on “whatever hot work is going to be done in there.” Murray asked about safety controls at the connection between Bowlmor and Ying Dynasty, along with the potential for flammable liquids and other “igniters” including but not limited to electricity. He was told that gas does not exist in the Bowlmor building, though it does exist in Ying Dynasty.
Jim Sullivan, Mattapoisett’s gas inspector, recalled a prior kitchen demolition where Ying Dynasty now stands and that the gas meter had not been shut off. After being told there is no gas in the Bowlmor building, Sullivan requested a walk-through “just to secure that thought.”
Sullivan also shared his concern about the vibration caused by heavy equipment, referencing Ying Dynasty’s “old gas service” and questioning if the activity next door could cause a leak. He suggested a test before the restaurant reopens and to have a plumber on-site to verify “everything OK in that section.”
Bobola offered a final walk-through, and several other stakeholders indicated an interest in participating before demolition.
Mattapoisett Police Captain Jason King said safety detail would be necessary along Route 6 and on Barstow Street. “Traffic flow and overall safety would be our concern,” said King. Monsini explained that the demolition work could extend into a second day where it concerns cutting away where Bowlmor ends, and Ying Dynasty begins. If the work extends to a second day, it will require an additional one-officer detail.
Sharing the traffic concern was Center School AssociatePrincipal Kevin Tavares, who estimated 8:00-8:45 am and 2:30-3:00 pm as the arrival and dismissal times, causing the most activity in and out of the school.
Mattapoisett Health Agent Kayla Davis asked about pest control, including rats and mice, noting that they tend to scatter. Monsini said Costello Dismantling usually takes preventative measures and indicated that rodent prevention is the property owner’s domain and resultant issues are the town’s concern.
To regulate dust during the demolition, Monsini said Costello uses one or two machines to distribute a mist, saying the number of parts of water “per million (of air) exceeds anything we need as far as dust control.”
One abutter, David MacIntyre, was invited to address the call and said, “I have no concerns, just more curious as to what the plan is, that’s all.”
Bobola summarized a checklist of needs, including written proof that all utilities have been cut, a valid Dig Safe number, and written confirmation on oil removal. Asbestos remediation, reported Davis, was completed on November 20, and Bobola requested copies of the final clearance and certificate.
City projects involving high-rise buildings are often brought down by means similar to Costello’s plans for Bowlmor. Boston Garden, separated by only 9 inches from its successor, was clawed down in the late 1990s by heavy equipment only a few years after the FleetCenter (now TD Garden) was erected.
Bowlmor is a much smaller building, especially in height, but shares a similar charm as a cultural sports relic with 10 lanes, all duckpin, and a signature smell that was not considered unpleasant to its patrons. It will become the latest in a purge of old-time bowling in the region, joining Midtown Bowl on Route 6 in Dartmouth, Bowlers Country Club in Fairhaven where Stop & Shop now sits, and Playdium in New Bedford.
Monsini said there was a break-in a few months before the asbestos was removed. “Someone broke in and made a little bit of a mess,” he said. Bobola told call participants that bowling shoes and pins were still inside the building and that Paolini, before his October 5 passing, generously allowed representatives from the Tri-Town to help themselves to items.
Dr. Jeff Miller, director of the Mattapoisett Museum, told The Wanderer that he and the owner had been in conversation about some materials being gifted to the museum, primarily a bench that the museum had to decline for lack of space. While the museum is interested in acquiring smaller items, nothing had been decided as of November 23.
By Mick Colageo