WESTFIELD—The demolition of the old Romani’s Bowling Alley is moving forward, with bids officially being opened yesterday.
According to Joe Mitchell, city advancement coordinator for Westfield, a total of six bids were opened for the project. The long-term goal of the Church Street location is to further improve downtown parking with the addition of a parking garage, as well as a mixed-use building. The site also figures into the city’s plans to help assuage parking issues in the short-term, as well.
One of the properties that has been acquired used to be a bowling alley owned by the Romani family. (Photo by Greg Fitzpatrick)
“The numbers were close to what we expected,” Mitchell said. “The city’s purchasing agent is now reviewing the criteria for them.”
Mitchell said that he was happy with the six total bids, which were out of 15 who showed initial interest and eight who had walked the property.
According to Mitchell, the bid specifications for the project was at $175,000. That cost included demolition, hazardous material abatement and backfilling of the lot. Mitchell said that funds are currently being secured for the project by the city and that the project is expected to be done over the summer.
Once it is complete, Mitchell said that the Westfield Redevelopment Authority (WRA), who is overseeing the project, will allow the site to be used for temporary parking relief until a building is constructed.
“Once that building is all leveled and filled, the WRA will enter into an agreement with the off-street parking commission to have it become parking,” he said.
