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Date: 1/7/2016
LONGMEADOW – The corridor improvement project for Longmeadow and Converse streets could cost as much as $3.5 million, according to early estimates.
The purpose of the project is to alleviate the anticipated increase in traffic congestion from the MGM Springfield resort casino and improve motorists’ safety on those roadways, specifically during peak driving hours.
Matt Chase of Vanasse Hangen Brustlin (VHB) explained during a preliminary presentation to the Select Board on Jan. 4 that the estimates include improvements to three intersections – Longmeadow Street, Forest Glen Road and Western Drive; Longmeadow and Converse streets and Englewood Road; and Converse and Laurel streets – as well as the roadways between those traffic signals.
“Through the three intersections we’ve talked about with all the widening [of roads], soup to nuts, and curbing and sidewalks and whatnot, we’re in, I think the $2.5 to $3.5 million range,” Chase said. “There were a lot of different options that we looked at and we have those costs broken up to some extent, so there is a menu of a whole bunch of scenarios.”
The initial proposal included the widening of roadways with shoulders added for bicycles, new black traffic signal arms, relocation of or improvement to sidewalks and crosswalks, additional turn lanes at intersections and new catch basins, curbing, pavement and striping.
The project will be funded though mitigation funding the town will receive from MGM Springfield through its surrounding community agreement.
Longmeadow had to appear before the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to receive surrounding community status, and then was forced to go to arbitration with MGM when the two sides could not come to a consensus on a surrounding community agreement.
Longmeadow won its case for before a three-person arbitration panel, resulting in a $4.4 million award with an up-front payment of $850,000 and $275,000 in annual mitigation payments for 13 years once the casino in Springfield’s South End neighborhood opens.
MGM’s best offer included $1.6 million in mitigation payments.
Town Manager Stephen Crane said one of the next steps would be the development of a plan for financing the project.
“We’ll have to figure out what this will all cost, how do we finance it, phasing, and look at those options,” he said. “If it turns out we need to bond some funds, we would look to some component, I would guess, of our annual mitigation funds to offset those costs. We’re not going to be receiving those funds for another year anyway. Then you have a question of timing and doing it all so the work lines up with when we need it to.”
Crane added VHB, with input from the town, would revise and refine the design in order to have a more polished proposal ready for a public involvement phase. A public hearing should not be expected sooner than six months from now, he added.
The Select Board also announced the dates for the 2016 elections and Annual Town Meeting.
A preliminary election, if needed, would take place April 26 with the Annual Town Election on June 14.
The Annual Town Meeting is set for May 10.