SOUTH HADLEY — A large pile of wood beams, wood panels, metal piping and insulation encased in four dilapidated walls is all that’s left of the historic building on the corner of Carew and West Main streets that partially collapsed last month.

The debris, which spills out the back door of the building, has remained on the property since the first weekend in June, contained by a wire fence and a “No Trespassing” sign. Its location in South Hadley Falls, adjacent from the Old Firehouse Museum and South Hadley canal monument, and the smell of must and cleaning products wafting from the site irks people who live in the area.

“It’s not safe. The fence leaning against it isn’t stopping anybody from climbing up there and grabbing bricks,” Diane LaRoche said during the Select Board meeting on July 9. “The recent heavy rain has been washing bits of glass out of there. It smells bad, and it’s right in the heart of downtown South Hadley Falls.”

LaRoche, who spoke on behalf of the South Hadley Falls Neighborhood Association, wants the Select Board to mandate the site’s cleanup rather than letting it decay more.

“We have a lot of situations in South Hadley Falls that have been dragging on for years. I would hope that maybe this could be the situation where the Select Board (and) town administration keeps revisiting it and say, ‘This can’t go on. Clean this up please,’” she said.

However, the property currently has no owner to hold accountable for the mess.

The building’s previous owner Casimir Kazimierczak died in 2023, and the courts have been processing his estate since then. The building served as Kazimierczak’s office and workspace for his machine shop, The United Tool Company. Prior to the collapse, the town assessor’s office valued the structure and the land it sits on at $121,800.

The next hearing for the property in Probate Court is on Aug. 19, and the town’s Interim Building Commissioner Jason Forgue said Kazimierczak’s family will not make any decisions about the property until more information on its next owner is revealed.

“I’ve had two different conversations with two different demolition contractors that have indicated that they’ve been asked to provide quotes for the cleanup and final demolition, but it has gone no further past that to date,” Forgue said.

Kazimierczak’s sister Jan Mastej told the Gazette in June that the family had an interest in cleaning up the property and possibly restoring the building to its former glory, but they were waiting for the courts to decide the property’s fiduciary. Mastej could not be reached for this article.

When asked if the Select Board or town administration could potentially set a deadline for the building’s cleanup, Forgue said doing so would put the responsibility of demolition on the town, after which the municipality can place a lien on the building, and the court-named owner would pay the lien. Forgue, however, continues to use the traditional channels for now.

“I’m hopeful for some positive information after the incoming hearing, but we’re just left waiting,” he said.

If the debris poses “a clear and present and immediate danger to the general public,” Forgue and the Building Department will step in to protect the community. Despite the stench and unsightly display, the building remains secure.

“I ask for patience with the residents of the area as the family attempts to settle the probate through the proper channels,” Forgue said.

Emilee Klein can be reached at eklein@gazettenet.com.