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Date: 10/27/2022
LONGMEADOW – Voters overwhelmingly chose to support funding a middle school feasibility study at the Oct. 25 Special Town Meeting, despite some questioning its purpose and $1.6 million price tag.
Longmeadow Public Schools Superintendent M. Martin O’Shea addressed the crowd of about 340 voters gathered in the Longmeadow High School gymnasium, presenting a summary of the history and condition of Glenbrook and Williams Middle Schools, which a 2021 facility study found to need a combined $30.2 million in repairs.
While the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) approved only Glenbrook into their eligibility period, O’Shea told residents that the feasibility study would consider the benefits of combining the two schools into a single facility, as well as the possibilities of an addition and renovation or bringing Glenbrook up to code without expanding or modernizing the school.
Funding for the feasibility study is comprised of $800,000 in free cash and by borrowing an equal amount, which will be factored into the town’s fiscal year 2024 budget. The funding is contingent upon the town signing a feasibility study agreement with the MSBA, which will reimburse a percentage of eligible costs.
If the town had voted down the funding, O’Shea said, “We would be challenged to address the deficiencies” without MSBA involvement. The town would have to fund the schools’ repairs without financial assistance from the state, and O’Shea emphasized, the schools would still be over 50 years old.
Resident Scott MacKenzie spoke in favor of the funding. He pointed out that the schools were built before humans had landed on the moon and said people move to towns for good schools.
Two residents asked if the town could skip the feasibility study and save the money. Another resident asked what a feasibility study would provide that the town does not already know. O’Shea said that in addition to considering the scope of the project and whether the schools should be combined, the feasibility study completes site surveys, researches code requirements and performs soil testing, among many other tasks. “We have to do our due diligence,” he said.
O’Shea also noted that the MSBA requires a feasibility study but said if there is consensus early in the process, the Middle School Building Committee could move toward a “tried and true” model school design.
In the end, the vote was 300-36 in favor.
Legal fees
Residents had several questions regarding an article requesting an additional $140,000 for legal fees relating to the town’s efforts to stop Eversource from installing a pipeline and natural gas metering station in town.
At the fall 2021 Special Town Meeting, voters approved $100,000 for litigation of the issue, including representation in front of the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act Office (MEPA) and the Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB). To date, $32,000 has been spent but the attorney estimated the total cost of fighting the project to be $240,000.
One resident said he did not have enough information to vote on the funding and said most residents in Longmeadow heat with natural gas. Select Board Chair Josh Levine explained that Eversource has stated the project is not intended to service new customers in Longmeadow, but instead to act as a backup for existing infrastructure.
Another voter asked about the likelihood of success in the litigation. Levine stated that there is no history of legal challenges to this type of project since the state passed the 2050 Decarbonization Roadmap and the Clean Energy and Climate Plan for 2030. Resident Tom Shea, however, said the Select Board had stated in a public meeting that the town’s “chances are slim.”
Shea asked how far into the future the funding will cover legal expenses. Levine said that the attorney provided the $240,000 figure as the amount to cover the rest of the MEPA and EFSB processes. Responding to questions by Shea, Levine said the funds would not cover an appeal, but added that the town has not discussed whether an appeal is desired, should the litigation fail.
Resident Steve Chandler asked how success would be measured. Levine said ideally the pipeline would not come through town, but it may be a matter of the infrastructure following alternative routes, rather than passing along residential streets.
“Hasn’t Longmeadow done enough for the gas industry?” asked resident Mary-Beth Bergeron. “Let’s fight it tooth and nail and see where we end up.”
The legal funding passed with a vote of 200-48.
Outdoor Water Use Bylaw
The last issue that stirred debate was the Outdoor Water Use Bylaw. The bylaw, originally proposed at the 2022 Annual Town Meeting to address year-long excessive irrigation, was cut down significantly to focus on water supply issues and drought.
Town Manager Lyn Simmons explained to a resident that unlike the first version of the bylaw, there were no provisions requiring the registration of irrigation systems or other water management measures except that which is required by state law. Instead, Levine described the bylaw as “reasonable restrictions.”
Levine explained to residents that at the height of the drought this summer, the Select Board was informed by the Department of Public Works that the water supply in the water tower was too low to adequately fight a large fire, such as the one that destroyed the Maple Center Shopping Plaza in November 2021.
As written, the bylaw would allow for town officials to declare a state of water supply conservation, “Based on factors including, but not limited to,” equipment failure, an inadequate source of water or distribution capacity and the declaration of a state of drought by Massachusetts Drought Management Task Force and the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs.
Shea motioned for the state of drought to be removed from the list of reasons for the town to declare a state of water supply conservation. He said, “The state task force has no jurisdiction,” over Springfield Water and Sewer Commission or Cobble Mountain Reservoir, from which Longmeadow draws its water. Shea added that he did not want people in Boston making decisions about Longmeadow’s water.
The motion to amend the bylaw passed, but another resident pointed out that the reasons for a state of water supply conservation are “not limited” to those explicitly stated.
Simmons was asked about whether the town will seek out violators or rely on complaints. She explained that the two zoning enforcement officers that the town voted to fund earlier in the meeting would actively look for people not complying. The incident would result in the officer educating residents, but there would be fines for subsequent infractions.
“Is this the best use of public safety officers?” a voter asked. Levine replied that it is a public safety issue because it impacts the town’s ability to ensure fire safety and drinking water.
The amended bylaw passed 88-22. All remaining articles also passed.