Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | December 11, 2023 | Worcester Business Journal 5 Lawsuits piling up over unpaid work at now- bankrupt Heywood hospital Consigli Construction, a Milford-based construction firm with more than 1,600 employees across the country, is the focus of another lawsuit related to lack of payments for work done on Heywood Memorial Hospital's Graon surgical pavilion, following a September lawsuit where Consigli sued the now bankrupt Heywood and other affiliated parties regarding its own difficulties in collecting payment for work done at the site. Heywood announced in June it was stopping construction on the $29-mil- lion project, which would have had six operating rooms. e move came shortly aer Heywood removed President and CEO Winfield Brown from his role. e lawsuit against Consigli was filed in Worcester County Superior Court on Nov. 27 by Structures Unlimited, a New Hampshire-based company specializing in the construction and installation of skylights. e company claims Consigli owes it $426,776 for subcontract work done by Structures Unlimited at the Heywood site, saying Consigli has failed to provide payment despite repeated requests. is is the second lawsuit filed against Consigli by a subcontractor involved with the Heywood surgical pavilion. Earlier in November, S&F Concrete Contractors of Hudson filed a lawsuit in Worcester County Superior Court, claiming over $500,000 in unpaid bills. is new lawsuit comes as Consigli has had difficulties in collecting payment from Heywood Memorial Hospital and other parties involved in the construc- tion of the surgery wing. In September, Consigli filed a lawsuit in Worcester County Superior Court against Heywood, Rockland Trust of Ha- nover and Waterstone Properties Group, a Needham-based real estate firm, over allegations of missed payments and a breach of contract regarding work per- formed at the site. at suit claims Waterstone owes Consigli over $9 million and requested a mechanic's lien on the surgical pavilion property. Heywood Healthcare, the entity oper- ating the hospital in Gardner and anoth- er hospital in Athol, filed for bankruptcy in October, citing an expensive medical record transition, workforce challenges, and supply chain issues. Consigli did not immediately return a voicemail message from WBJ requesting comment regarding the lawsuit. Former Green St. BBQ joint, where 375 apartments were planned, is back on the market A property in Worcester's Canal District – which had been slated to be turned into 375 apartments – is back on the market, raising questions about the future of redevelopment planned for the site. e property, located at 139 Green St., was the former site of Smokestack Urban Barbecue, which closed in November 2022. Quarterra Multifamily Communi- ties LLC, a developer headquartered in North Carolina, had submitted an application to the Worcester Planning Board in January, showing its intent to make the parcel part of a proposed third phase of the Table Talk Los project. Quarterra never formally purchased the property, but – as tends to be standard with redevelopment proposals – was going through the process of getting its redevelopment plan approved before finalizing the sale. e proposed development would have seen 375 apartments and 22,000 square feet of retail space built on the property. If the redevelopment of 139 Green St. into multifamily housing has been canceled, it would represent the latest slowdown in housing development in Worcester. e property has been re-listed for sale at $795,000, according to a listing posted on the website Worcester real estate brokerage firm Kelleher & Sadowsky Associates shared with WBJ on Dec. 4. Drew Higgins, vice president at Kelleher & Sadowsky, confirmed that the property is no longer under contract with the former potential purchasers, but declined to comment further. Mark Borenstein, partner at Worcester law firm Bowditch & Dewey, which was representing Quarterra in its attempt to obtain approval for the project, declined to comment. A call to Quarterra from WBJ seeking comment on the project was not returned. Continued on next page B R I E F S Graduate Programs clarku.edu/graduate The Clark MBA | Finance | Accounting Analytics and Big Data | Computer Science Project Management | Communications Sustainable Development Public Administration Generous Scholarships for Central Massachusetts Students Local, Flexible, Career-Focused WooSox should be sold to Diamond Three seasons after moving the Boston Red Sox's top minor league franchise to Worcester, the ownership group of the Worcester Red Sox have reached an agreement to sell the team to Diamond Baseball Holdings. Diamond is a New York City-based holding company with about 30 other minor league baseball franchises, including the Portland Sea Dogs in Maine. The sale to the corporate owner contradicts WooSox Chairman Larry Lucchino's previous comments that he wanted to sell to a local owner. When polled online, the majority of WBJ readers said the WooSox owners should sell the team to Diamond. Do you think the WooSox should be sold to a NYC holding company? F L A S H P O L L No, the team owners should sell to someone local. 40% Yes, the team owners can sell to whoever they want to maximize their investment. 36% Yes, Diamond has experience running baseball teams. 20% 4% No, the team owners should wait a few more years before selling. Heywood's paused surgical pavilion construction Brought to you by:

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