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| By G. Michael Dobbs Managing Editor CHICOPEE Last week, Willamansett residents had their turn expressing concerns to Mayor Michael Bissonnette and city department heads as the mayor's "listening tour" came to that neighborhood on Thursday night. About 25 people attended the event in the community room of the Church of the Nativity on Chicopee Street. Bissonnette said the problems of crime and drugs that gave the neighborhood a bad reputation in the 1990s have been addressed and the neighborhood 'will be the next great place." "There's buys down here," he added. Bissonnette predicted there will be growth in the number of owner-occupied homes in the next five to 10 years. The neighborhood is one of those targeted in the city's new homebuyer education campaign. The development of the former Chapin School into an over-55 apartment complex and the renovation of the Little Red School House into a private residence will help the neighborhood he said, as well as the move of the Valley Opportunity Center into the former Mount Carmel School. Steve Huntley, the executive director of the VOC, presented the status of the VOC's conversion of the former Mount Carmel School to its new headquarters. Huntley anticipates the adult education classes will move into the renovated structure the first week of January, while the other programs and offices will switch over from their present location on center street by the end of the month. There will be a day care center for children as well as an adult day center for seniors, Huntley said. The VOC's WIC program will be in the new building along with the agency's GDC education classes. Roughly 200 to 250 people a day VOC staff, volunteers and clients will be coming in and out of the building, which Bissonnette viewed as positive for the neighborhood. Although Bissonnette painted a hopeful picture of the area, residents did present assignments for the mayor and his staff. Several homes being used for business, rather than residential, purposes were discussed as well as vacant properties that either need to be secured or demolished. Bissonnette explained the city might put the building where the Registry of Motor Vehicle office is located up for sale. Although both he and the residents at the meeting expressed their appreciation for the Registry office, Bissonnette said the arrangement with the state was a free lease of the building. That lease is now up and Registry officials have hinted they aren't willing to pay rent. The office is now in the building on a month-to-month basis. Bissonnette said he confirmed with State Rep. Joseph Wagner that Registry officials want to get out of having brick and mortar offices and they recently closed the office that was in the Eastfield Mall in Springfield. The mayor described the situation as "a game of chicken." One resident said that while the Chicopee Boys & Girls Club provides programs for young people in one part of the neighborhood, the other part closest to the bridge to Holyoke doesn't have any activities for children. She also said the neighborhood's lack of a library is a problem. Police Chief John Ferraro offered the space used as a community policing sub-station as a location for a youth program. Residents in the Cabotville neighborhood will have their chance to speak with the mayor when the listening tour comes to the Portuguese-American Club at 129 Exchange St. on Dec. 17. |