School Committee to consider moving department offices
Date: 3/15/2013
By Aubri Bailly
Aubri@TheReminder.comCHICOPEE — Chicopee City Council President George Moreau expressed his lack of eagerness in having the School Administration move to the former Chicopee library.
"Right now, I don't think we can support that happening," Moreau stated to
Reminder Publications.
Moreau's comment came in reaction to the possible relocation of the School Administration building from the Helen A. O'Connell Building on Broadway to the old Chicopee library in Market Square. The School Committee discussed the issue meeting on March 6.
Moving to the Szetela Early Childhood School was also brought up as an option.
The School Committee voted 9 to 3 in favor of exploring the possible relocation to the library.
The committee also conducted an 8 to 4 vote in favor of the removal of asbestos in the library. The members who voted "no" on the asbestos motion did so because they felt that as a school committee only exploring the possible relocation to the old library, they should not be the ones to tell the city to remove the asbestos.
Moreau stated in a phone interview that he believes many members of the School Committee are less than enthusiastic about moving to the old library as well.
School Committee member Mary Elizabeth Pniak-Costello brought forward the discussion at the meeting of the possible relocation.
"We do have a very old administrative building at 180 Broadway. We do patchwork repairs and there are concerns about the condition of the building," Pniak-Costello said.
Several School Committee members, however, chose to express their discontent with this possible move.
"I don't think putting us on the block as potential candidates to move [into the former library] should be done," School Committee member Donald Lamothe stated.
Lamothe brought up the issue of parking. If the move to the old library were to happen, there would not be enough parking spaces available to the school administration workers or the public, he contended.
Though some of the members were against the relocation happening, some were more than happy to have the old library as a possibility.
"I think this would be great for the economy of downtown, especially when we open that bridge. I feel this would be the opportunity of a lifetime to really revitalize downtown," School Committee member Adam Lamontagne said.
One thing that all committee members were able to agree on was that the asbestos in the old library must be taken out. About a year ago, a structural engineer was hired to see how much it would cost to get rid of the asbestos in the walls and tile floors. The cost was $160,000. Since then, nothing has been done and the cost has gone up another $25,000, according to Mayor Michael Bissonnette.
Bissonnette, who is for exploring the possible relocation of the school department to the old library, expressed that he wants to rid the old library of asbestos as soon as possible.
"You've got two options: renovate the library or knock it down. Either way, we will have to take the asbestos out," Bissonnette stated.
Other committee members agreed that acting now could save the city money.
"Any higher cost [of asbestos remediation] would be a burden on the taxpayer with that old library as well as money that could be taken away from the students," Costello said.
