Hayes, Fyntrilakis to lead re-building efforts in Springfield

Date: 7/5/2011

July 4, 2011

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor

SPRINGFIELD — Mayor Domenic Sarno announced on June 27 that Gerald Hayes, vice president for Administration and Finance at Westfield State University and Nicholas A. Fyntrilakis, assistant vice president of Community Responsibility at MassMutual, have been picked to lead the re-building efforts in Springfield.

The two men — whose services are voluntary — will be on loan to the city through the end of December, Sarno said. They will lead a coalition of private and public entities through the cooperation between the Springfield Redevelopment Authority and DevelopSpringfield, he added.

Hayes said that he and Fyntrilakis would be contacting Congressman Richard Neal about federal aid to the city.

“We will be knocking on his door over and over,” Hayes added.

He said the two men would also be seeking additional state funds for the recovery effort.

“This is an all-hands on deck situation,” Hayes said.

Both Hayes and Fyntrilakis emphasized any re-building plans would include residents of the affected neighborhood. There will be “significant amounts of community engagement,” Fyntrilakis added.

Sarno plans to appoint residents to the committee this month.

The immediate goal is to come up with a master plan for the city as a whole and then for each neighborhood, Hayes explained. These plans would then give the committee guidance as it moves forward, he added.

“A one size fits all [solution] simply won’t work in the city of Springfield,” Hayes said.

The status of the affected properties — who owns them, what is the level of damage and other issues — is already underway, Fyntrilakis said.

Activist groups have advocated for the re-building of low-income housing and Hayes said the city has an obligation to provide “safe, decent, clean housing” for every resident.

He said the city’s first obligation is to make sure all of the people who had been living in the American Red Cross shelter at the MassMutual Center find adequate housing.

Sarno said, ”My top priority has always been the safety of the citizens of Springfield and I am extremely proud of the way our community has come together to respond to this disaster. Now we must turn our focus toward re-building our city in a way that reflects the vision of our citizens, businesses and the community at large.”

The mayor added,“As we enter the crucial rebuilding phase, we must move quickly to develop actionable and realistic strategies — a blueprint that will reflect a community-embraced vision for a stronger and even more vibrant Springfield. I am delighted to have the services of these two very talented and well-respected leaders to assist in this effort.”