Projects

Union Station, Springfield, MA

"A renovated Union Station will mark one of the
most significant developments in downtown
Springfield in several decades. The City and the
Union Station project have had all of the most
qualified people working on the project including
safety and hygiene specialist Bob Kirchherr of O’Reilly, Talbot & Okun. His work was critical, both in the City’s securing of the property and the ultimate cleanup and stabilization of this historic building. The fact that the cleanup came in under budget is nothing short of amazing."

- Gary Shephard, Union Station


Union Station, a historic Springfield landmark, had been idle since 1960. In the early 80s the city resumed ownership of the property. In the early 90s, the previous owner brought suit against the city, claiming that the city owed him millions of dollars for the market value of the property.

One of the major factors in determining the residual value of the 40+ year idle building was potential environmental impairment. O’Reilly, Talbot & Okun was contracted to assess the property’s possible environmental liabilities. OTO’s report indicated the building contained materials with considerable asbestos and other environmental hazards. These impairments substantially diminished the value of the property.

At the completion of the analysis phase, OTO was asked to provide a plan and budget for complete cleanup of the property. OTO’s estimated budget in the early 1990s was $1.8 million. The ultimate cost of the cleanup a decade later was $1.7 million. The accuracy of the estimate was directly attributable to the thoroughness of the assessment and analysis phase as well as the low rate of inflation throughout the decade. There were few surprises during the course of the extended and extensive cleanup effort.