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Date: 2/27/2015
2015 Chicopee State of the City Address from CSC-TV, Chicopee Community TV on Vimeo.
CHICOPEE – Mayor Richard Kos touched on a wide number of points during his State of the City address noting accomplishments and changes during his first year back in office.
“My focus is on a better Chicopee, “ Kos said to Reminder Publications prior to his speech on Feb. 25.
He noted that a number of new department heads are now part of his administrations providing new ideas and leadership. He said he is proud of how “seamlessly” they have transitioned.
In the Police Department, there has been a greater effort to be transparent with the publishing of daily logs, he said. Kos added that Police Chief William Jebb is redistricting police routes to maximize responsiveness.
New computers had been added to the department as Kos said the ones in use were so old they could both be adequately secured.
The department is undergoing the Massachusetts Police Accreditation program, which Kos called “rigorous.”
Crime is down in the city by a “few percentage points,” he added.
Kos has been working with the city’s legislative delegation as well as state officials on the number of homeless families housed in hotels and motels in Chicopee. He reported the number has dropped 219 in three hotels to 59 families in two hotels. The number of school age children has also dropped from 250 to 68.
He added he would continue to work on not just ending the program but finding a safe solution, as the placing of homeless families is “unfair to the families and the community.”
Kos also thanked the legislative delegation for their work with the Massachusetts School Building Authority concerning the conversion of the former Chicopee High School into a new middle school.
The relationship with the City Council has also improved, Kos said. He noted that the council has approved all of his orders and that he routinely discusses the issues prior to the vote with councilors.
“It’s fair to say we trust each other,” Kos said.
During his first year, Kos noted that improvements have been made to city parks including the Kaboom grant to help fund the addition of a playscape at Nash Field, a community effort of which he is proud. The Kielbasa Fest has returned successfully and Kos said his office has worked to improve the Christmas tree lighting ceremony as well as the downtown Halloween event.
He announced that downtown Chicopee would have free public WIFI access, dubbed “CHI-FI,” and will be one of the first communities in Massachusetts to offer such a service.
Continuing on downtown, he said there will be more places to park with the sale of the former Ferris lot on Center Street and that the “dreams of Cabotville continue.” He said a new owner of the Lyman Mills building has been speaking of developing 50 market-rate loft apartments there.
Looking at other neighborhoods, Kos said a new program would help encourage people to buy multi-family homes and live there. If qualified, they would receive a $16,000 grant which would be forgiven is they live there for 16 years. Kos said he has re-activated the problem property committee to address issues in the neighborhoods.
To help business development, he is considering re-organizing the city’s Planning Department and is looking to combine Code Enforcement and the Building department to improve efficiency.
He is looking at the city’s options for waste removal as the landfill used by the city will close in three years and is working on a “one card” program for Chicopee that would be an identity card for high school as well as a library card.
He has used a variety of ways to communicate with residents, including an increase in social media, and said, “I don’t have all the answers. Your input is welcomed.”
Kos added, “I’m looking forward to the next year.”
Kos' full State of the City speech: