Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 11/22/2019
WEST SPRINGFIELD – An appropriation of $46,726.40 was approved by the West Springfield Town Council at their Nov. 18 meeting to alleviate issues with school buses in town.
Councilor George Kelly spoke about overcrowding on school buses in the district that had resulted in students sitting on the floor. Councilor Nathan Bech added that the mayor stated in a letter that some Coburn Elementary School students were traveling on the bus for an hour, a situation Bech called “ridiculous.” The addition of a bus to the school district’s roster is meant to both shorten rides and relieve overcrowding.
Bech clarified that the town was not buying a bus with the money, but instead will be contracting with Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative (LPVEC) for the use of an additional bus through the end of the school year.
Several public hearings were hosted. In the first public hearing, Gene Giuliano, representing Columbia Gas, requested permission for the installation of telemetry cabinets at two locations in town, Althea Street at the intersection of Riverdale Street and on the opposite side of the street from 417 Prospect Ave., to monitor system pressure.
Councilor Brian Griffin said the utility committee had met with Columbia Gas and all requirements were expected to be met. Griffin clarified, when asked by Councilor Bruce Gendron, that state approval was still required for the project to proceed.
A second public hearing was conducted in which Mike Dolan, of the law firm Brown Rudnick, represented AT&T in their effort to place a “small cell antenna on top of a replacement utility pole” near 529 Union St. The equipment would consist of a small antenna and a small cabinet which would be affixed to the utility pole.
Dolan said it will “allow AT&T to handle more data at faster speed with more reliable coverage for their customers in the area.”
Griffin verified that AT&T had met or will meet all requirements from the utility committee.
Councilor Michael Eger questioned Dolan regarding whether the tower would handle 5G, the latest generation of cellular signal. Dolan said it would, once that technology becomes available. He also confirmed to Eger that it would be the first such small tower in West Springfield.
Eger said that research he had done showed that 5G towers give off “too much of this radiation,” that is “absorbed into the human body.”
“I would prefer we be late adopters of this technology,” Eger said, adding that he was willing to delay the vote to provide information to the council that backed his position. The public hearing was continued to the Dec. 2 meeting due to Eger’s objection to the vote.
Before he left Dolan handed out information about the frequency the proposed equipment uses to the councilors and reminded them that the FCC approves and regulates all cellular equipment.
A public hearing on the town’s tax classification was also continued to Dec. 2 since the figures for the tax rate were not yet ready. Before the continuance, however, resident John Weiss, a residential and commercial property owner and member of the Chamber of Commerce West of the River, came to the mic.
“I just want to make my point again, as I do every year, that the commercial taxpayers in West Springfield pay a very large share of the tax burden. We want to be part of the town as well, we just want to be treated fairly,” Wiess told the council.
A single resident spoke during the public comment period.
“I’m Mrs. Schuh from district two, where no man, woman or child is safe,” she said.
Schuh complained of speeding traffic in the area of Kings Highway. She said “monster commercial trucks” speed by her house, especially at night, going “so fast that the house shakes.”
Schuh also addressed the “over-aged, neglected, sewer system” and said that “no projects are planned to monitor our aging sewer system so best to protect the homeowner, the business owner and the taxpayer.”
The ordinance and policy subcommittee met earlier in the evening and discussed the outdoor seating ordinance that has been proposed by Councilor Sean Powers. That legislation is currently being reviewed by the town attorney. A proposal by Kelly to adopt a state law discounting rates for veterans in the elderly was also discussed.
In the traffic and safety subcommittee, a temporary ban on overnight parking for one side of Cooper Street was approved.