Decrepit former Silvia School boarded up; city finds numerous violations

FALL RIVER — Local businessman David Hebert successfully pitched his bid to purchase the former Silvia School to the City Council Committee for $5,000 back in 2016 with the promise to redevelop the Hartwell Street property into a boutique hotel and restaurant and other mixed-uses.

The redevelopment never happened and on Wednesday morning, city Inspectional Services Director Glenn Hathaway ordered the still blighted three-building property on 1-acre boarded up after city inspectors found numerous building and health code violations that included signs that a number of homeless have set up residence in the squalid former school complex.

“The buildings are totally uninhabitable, and in some places, they are dangerous,” said Hathaway. “You have a roof collapsing in the front half of this building, you got a stairwell that’s pretty deteriorated in the back of this building and it’s open to vagrants. We’ve got plenty of evidence that they are in and out of here on a regular basis.”

Hebert is currently awaiting sentencing in federal court after pleading guilty to charges associated with the corruption case against former Mayor Jasiel Correia II with two other co-defendants. Hebert was once a political supporter of the former mayor and is expected to testify for federal prosecutors in Correia’s trial some time next year.

Correia was mayor when Hebert was approved by the City Council against competitors to purchase the old Silvia School and the Lincoln School, which he has also failed to complete development into high-end market rate housing.

The City Council approved the sale of the former Lincoln School at 493 Pine St. for $10,000.

Correia was also the head of the TIF Board when Hebert received a 10-year tax break from the city for the development of the Lincoln School.

Hebert is apparently selling the former Lincoln School property for $795,000, according to the website LoopNet. The advertisement identifies that attached to the property is approval for a 24 apartments and the market rate tax break from the city known as a TIF.

Hebert did not respond to requests for comment for this story.

After Wednesday’s inspection at the former Silvia School, Hathaway and Minimum Housing Director Faust Fiore and his inspectors combed through the decrepit maze of the former school buildings with police escorts.

Hathaway’s first order of business, he said, would be erecting the signage that notified first responders in case of a fire, not to enter the building.

“There are dangers in there that could hurt them,” said Hathaway.

He said he would also secure any entryways the homeless have found into the buildings.

After looking through what was once the school’s gymnasium, inspectors’ located belongings of people who have been clearly living there for some time, including a heater and bedding and other belongings in an old walk-in refrigerator.

Minimum Housing Inspector Aline Jeronimo snapped photographs of bags of human feces strewn around the floor and there was more visible human waste outside. She said they also found hypodermic needles and fresh fruit.

In a courtyard, tiny blue canisters were on the ground. One officer said they were CO2 cartridges used by people to get a high.

In another part of the building, a tin ceiling and lighting had collapsed to the floor and debris was evident from floors and walls. In a doorway, a plastic zip top bag contained what looked like bloody urine.

Fiore said he received a warrant to enter the buildings from the Housing Court to gain access for the inspection.

Initially Fiore had received a complaint of rats from the neighboring Tecumseh Mills apartments and from there he cited Hebert’s company, Hey-Bear LLC, with three housing violations for failing to maintain and register the vacant property – which designated the old Silvia School as a nuisance property.

“I sent him a letter that he had to send a plan on how to abate the nuisance and he did not do that,” said Fiore.

Hebert did not respond to Fiore’s request for a voluntary inspection prompting him to get the court warrant.

He is facing a $1,000 fine.

While Hebert was approved to purchase the Silvia School by the City Council in 2016, he didn’t close on the property with the city until early 2018.

Email Jo C. Goode at jgoode@heraldnews.com