CPC to weigh community input at annual public hearing
Date: 1/23/2014
By Chris Maza
chrism@thereminder.comLONGMEADOW – The Community Preservation Committee (CPC) will host its annual public hearing to discuss potential projects to receive Community Preservation Act funding in 2014.
The hearing will take place on Feb. 6 at 7 p.m. in conference room A-15 in the administration wing at Longmeadow High School.
“This hearing gives the public the opportunity to provide input on the projects we are considering for this year,” CPC Chair Steven Weiss said.
A total of 14 projects are under consideration for this year, which would require approval from the residents at Annual Town Meeting, which has yet to be scheduled. At some point after the hearing, the CPC will make determinations on which projects it will recommend to the Select Board to be added to the Town Meeting warrant, Weiss explained.
The largest request this year is $200,000 to upgrade of the Blinn Tennis Courts in which the court surface, fencing, lighting, parking and sidewalks would be replaced or improved.
According to the application, town engineers estimated the project at $700,000 and the $200,000 represents the remaining balance that has not yet been approved by the town.
Among this year’s other proposals is a pair of projects at Greenwood Park.
The Friends of Longmeadow Older Citizens Association is asking for $51,969 for a new asphalt walking trail around the perimeter of the park as well as the creation of an area for outdoor activities with fitness equipment a shuffleboard court, a horseshoe pit, bocce court and picnic tables and benches.
The other proposal for Greenwood Park is a pool improvement project with a cost of $177,000, including an estimated 15 percent in contingency funds. The propositioned work would improve the pool’s drainage and filtration, fix the concrete bottom of the deep end of the pool; upgrade the locker rooms and restrooms to make them Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant and improve lighting and ventilation; and provide hot showers in the pool house.
Two requests were also submitted for improvements to Storrs Library.
The first proposed project is a $79,000 endeavor to replace sidewalks that extend from the building’s front entrance to its rear and restore the driveways. The second calls for the installation of a proper handicap ramp at a cost of $72,600. The current ramp, the application states, is not in compliance with current ADA standards as it is too steep and narrow and the flat rest areas are undersized.
Both Storrs Library projects were also added to the list of capital requests for fiscal year 2015.
A request of $93,200 was made to upgrade the track at the high school. According to the application, the existing rubberized track was installed in 1999 with a life expectancy of 10 years and because it is used regularly by the school as well as the public, it requires replacing.
To see the complete list and view the applications, visit the CPC’s page on the town’s website,
www.longmeadow.org/committees/community-preservation-committee .
