Peck not an option

By Paula Canning

Staff Writer

HOLYOKE As the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield continues to seek William R. Peck Middle School as a possible new home for Holyoke Catholic High, Mayor Michael Sullivan although supportive of the school's return to the city has made it clear that Peck is not an option for the school.

"The discussion between my office and the Diocese has been that Peck is not available," Sullivan said. "Peck is an active learning community and is not for sale."

Sullivan said that he has received three letters from Bishop Timothy McDonnell inquiring about the possibility of purchasing Peck.

He said the correspondence, which began with the initial letter on April 12, evolved from McDonnell expressing an understanding that Peck is not available to articulating a more more aggressive hope for Peck as a viable new home for Holyoke Catholic.

Sullivan said that in the last letter he received on May 26, McDonnell asked him to communicate with the Diocese to "see if anything further might be forthcoming on the possibility of Holyoke Catholic High School acquiring the Peck School."

He said that although Peck is not the "most appropriate structure for a public middle school," and has been difficult to heat and maintain, "there has never been any discussions about taking Peck offline."

According to Diocese Spokesperson Mark Dupont, however, the city has been sending "mixed signals" about its intentions with the school failing to give a clear answer about whether or not it is available for purchase.

He said that when McDonnell initially approached the city about the possibility of purchasing Peck the city responded that the estimated cost for the school would fall somewhere in between $11 and $13 million a figure Dupont said the diocese determined to be "a bit too high."

"The city is indicating that the school is not for sale but then is throwing out a $11 million price tag," Dupont said. "It just doesn't make sense."

But, according to Sullivan, the cost estimate does not suggest an intention to sell, but was formulated "in anticipation of hearing the train coming down the track."

"Everything has its price," Sullivan said. "The price only exists to say to the Diocese that we think that this is the least amount of money that we're going to need. If we can't start a conversation at that point, then we move on."

He explained that the estimated $11 million would cover the cost to extricate from the school, including costs for bonding obligations, moving, and the possibility of constructing another school for Peck students.

Sullivan explained that if Peck were to become available for purchase, he would want to complete a Request For Proposals (RFP) in order to attract the highest bid.

"I understand their budget and what they can afford, but I have to be responsible for what the city needs," Sullivan said.

He said that providing the Diocese with an estimated price for the school was "just a starting point" and that assuming the cost estimate implies an intention to sell the school is "not a professional analysis" of the situation.

While Sullivan said the interest in Peck may be rooted in the assumption that the upcoming opening of the new charter school may eliminate the need for Peck, he explained that the charter school will serve elementary school students, not middle school students.

According to Sullivan, the city is "more than willing," to work with the Diocese to bring Holyoke Catholic which is currently located on Route 202 in Granby back to the city.

He said that he has suggested that the Diocese investigate a number of alternative locations in the city, including Sisters of Providence space on Route 5, the Mountain Park site, as well as the industrial site in the Springdale area of the city.

In addition, Sullivan said he has also encouraged the Diocese to explore a lease option, in which someone is brought in to build a facility that the school would then lease.

Dupont explained that the Diocese has been exploring a number of these options and is not assuming that Peck is available to buy.

Dupont explained that, in February, at the request of Principal of Holyoke Catholic Sr. Cornelia Roy, McDonnell met with a group of Holyoke Catholic supporters concerned that "there was still a desire on the part of some to explore the option of bringing back Holyoke Catholic to Holyoke."

He explained that at that time, the campaign to build a new Holyoke High on 63 acres of adjacent land off Route 202 in Granby, had "cooled off a bit" when it didn't reach its intended goal.

He said the group of Holyoke Catholic supporters identified a number of potential sites in Holyoke for the school, including Peck.

After approaching the Mayor, learning of the estimated $11 to $13 million price tag on Peck, and deeming the figure too high for the diocese to purchase, Dupont said that McDonnell reacted to the requests of the Holyoke Catholic supporters and continued correspondence with Sullivan.

Dupont said McDonnell also hired John Dill, president of Colebrook Realty Services, as a consultant for the Diocese.

"The Bishop is completely responding to to requests from parishioners in the city of Holyoke," Dupont said.

Dupont emphasized that the Diocese is not making the assumption that Peck is indefinitely for sale or that the school is the best option for Holyoke Catholic.

"We don't even know if Peck is a viable option until the city can tell us whether or not it is available," he said. We're not presuming anything here."