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Date: 6/19/2015
CHICOPEE – An additional $500,000 was approved by the City Council for the completion of the renovation of the former Chicopee High School.
In the Mayor Richard Kos’ briefing preceding the June 16 meeting, School Superintendent Richard Rege said the conversion of the school is “on track” to open for the start of the year in August.
Rege said that equipment and furniture would be moved into the fourth floor next month with the subsequent floors following. He estimated the move would be finished by the second week of August.
City Councilor William Zaskey, who is also on the School Building Committee, said the $500,000 is an estimate and would fund a stabilization account specifically for the school project.
Norman Benjamin, the senior project manager for the project, said the $500,000 would be a “safety net.” The change order dated June 8 noted there is $102,569 needed for various aspects of the renovation.
Rege emphasized the magnitude of the project, as several schools will be making a move because of the new middle school.
“This is the project of the summer,” Rege said he told his school principals.
The final cost of the new school should be about $40 million with 80 percent reimbursement of $38 million, City Councilor James Tillotson noted.
Speaking on his support to approve the request, Tillotson said, “Once you get this deep in the river you either have to swim or drown and we’re going to swim.”
The City Council approved the receipt of a grant of $1 million from the Executive Office of Administration and Finance to clear and prepare the property near Westover Air Reserve Base for a solar field.
In his briefing preceding the meeting, Kos said there is asbestos and lead in the former Navy housing, which must be remediated. The city must still go out to bid for contractors and the city must put up $1 million of its own. Kos said he would be discussing a borrowing package with the council in the future.
The electricity generated by the solar field would be sold to Westover and save the base money, which will enhance its worth in the case of future assessments of the base by federal officials, Kos said.
“This right here is a home run,” Councilor Timothy McLellan said of the solar field.
The council approved $341,000 to remove five underground gasoline tanks as part of an Environmental Protection Agency mandate as well as install new above ground tanks at the Public Safety Complex. Messenger Jean Croteau said that during the construction period for about a month police and fire vehicles would have to gas up at the Department of Public Works facility.
Some of the tanks are 39 years old. Tanks of this kind generally are rated to last 30 years.
The council also approved $100,000 for the demolition of 296 Front St.
Kos said the final cost might not be that much. The property will be used as a parking lot for City Hall and the public.
The mayor added the city is speaking with the Valley Opportunity Council, which owns the next building with the goal of creating an even larger public parking area.
The council approved the use of $1 million to be used as tax relief for property owners.
Kos has filed his fiscal year 2016 budget with the council for its approval. The council will schedule meetings before the end of the year to approve it.
The mayor’s proposed budget totals $178.2 million, $80.2 million of which is allocated for the funding of schools.
Municipal spending, excluding schools is budgeted for $98 million. Projected school spending would reflect a 4.6 percent increase from the previous year while non-school spending would tally a 3.5 percent increase.
The goal has been to maintain city services with “minimal impact on the taxpayer,” Kos said.
Kos added the budget maintains the current level of 111 police patrolmen, additional forestry work, and $110,000 for Chicopee Falls branch library for after-school programs.