Chicopee could use $1.6 million in savings to close budgetary gaps

Date: 6/1/2011

June 1, 2011

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor

CHICOPEE — The city is expecting to save $1.6 million with a new health insurance contract for municipal workers, and those savings could be used to help pay for the city's school budget.

In a meeting that included members of the City Council and the School Committee, Mayor Michael Bissonnette and members of his administration outlined the status of several capital projects, specifically the conversion of the present Chicopee Academy into a new middle school and moving the school administration out of its building on Broadway.

Plans to enlarge the city's public safety complex were also discussed and although Police Chief John Ferraro Jr. said he had given up on the idea of seeing a new police headquarters constructed, members of the two groups discussed the possibility of a new Police Department building, giving the rest of the current complex over to the Fire Department.

Human Resource Director Scott Szczebak explained the city and the employees would both be saving money due to the new contracts with Health New England and Blue Cross/Blue Shield. He explained the city would have been forced to join the state's Group Insurance Commission if it hadn't found rates that were lower than those in the state's insurance program.

He said the city would pay 70 percent of the cost of the plan for its employees, which represents a $22 million expenditure in the city's budget — more than either the fire or police budgets combined.

Bissonnette, while praising the new rates, said they represent "rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic," but what is really needed is reform in the costs of health treatment.

Bissonnette said he would like to use the savings to help pay for school programs.

School Superintendent Richard Rege said the middle school project at Chicopee Academy is moving forward. He believes if the current pace continues, construction to renovate the former Chicopee High School building may start next summer and conclude in the summer of 2013.

Bissonnette said the school administration building is under "incredible stress" and may only have one more year with additional roof trusses.

The mayor is looking to consolidate administrative activities at City Hall and spoke about how the auditorium and the City Council Chambers are under-used spaces. The efforts to sell the former library building next door have not been successful and Bissonnette would like to renovate that space and add a connecting corridor between it and City Hall.

He said the city has raised $565,000 in the sale of real estate and Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray is expected to come to the city June 2 with a $600,000 smart growth grant. Bissonnette hopes the city can apply that grant to the library project.

The mayor is hoping the sale of various city properties will result in an additional $6 million over the next three to four years.

In discussing the public safety complex, Ferraro described how officers in some areas of the station have to climb over milk crates containing files.

"We are completely out of room," he said.

Acknowledging there is "only so much money to go around," Ferraro added, "I've walked way from the idea of a new building."

Architect Curtis Edgin of Caolo & Bieniek Associates Inc. described a project that would add space to the current building and some city councilors discussed the possibility of a new police headquarters on the city owned Uniroyal property

"It's their turn. They need it bad," At Large City Councilor Robert Zygarowksi said.

Bissonnette said it would be up to the council to determine how much debt they believe the city could afford. Edgin said an estimated cost for a new police station with 47,000 square feet of space was $18.7 million. The proposed renovations for both the fire and police sides of the present building are budgeted between $21 million and $22 million.

The mayor added the city must appeal to the members of its state and federal legislative delegation for financial assistance.

"Now we've got to shake every tree we can to fill the pot," he said.