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Date: 2/16/2022
WEST SPRINGFIELD – The project to restore 14 tombstones in Park Street Cemetery will start within the next month, and be completed by the end of the year.
During the Town Council meeting on Feb. 7, councilors unanimously approved a Community Preservation Committee request for the project. Council President Edward Sullivan said some of the 14 tombstones belong to residents of historical importance in town.
The funds spent on the project, $8,300, will go to hire a restoration company to clean up and preserve the tombstones. The money will come from West Springfield’s Community Preservation Act account, which is funded by a surtax on local property taxes and matching grants from the state. CPA funds can only be spent on historical preservation, open space, recreation or affordable housing.
The CPA has a balance of $150,000 available for preservation projects, Sullivan said, so even after the gravestone project is funded, there will still be “good funds” left over.
He noted that the cost and council approval will only cover the restoration of these 14 tombstones and will not go beyond that this year.
No vote on Whitney Ave.
The council debated, but took no action on Feb. 7, a proposed zoning change on Whitney Avenue, near the Holyoke city line. The owner of 711 Whitney Ave., Pyramid Corp., is asking to change the zoning from Residence A-2 to Residence C, to accommodate a large apartment complex on nearly 18 acres of land.
Sullivan said several concerns were raised about the project during a meeting of the Ordinance and Policy Subcommittee. Among the objections were increased traffic on Whitney Avenue and the plans for parking, as the preliminary proposal includes 166 one- or two-bedroom units, but only 92 parking spots.
Sullivan said the subcommittee was told that the number of units has not yet been determined. Pyramid has to study the topography and determine what wetlands it may have to avoid before it can propose a definitive design and number of units.
He said at the subcommittee meeting, Bill Rogalski of Pyramid Corp. and Richard Sypek, a lawyer representing the company, emphasized that the proposal before the council is only for the zone change, and the project would still need to undergo the special permit approval process with the Planning Board.
“The zone change is the first step,” Sullivan said. “The Planning Board will determine what that looks like.”
Sullivan noted that most people did not speak in approval of the zone change.
For the councilors who did not attend the subcommittee meeting, subcommittee Chair Sean Powers suggested making a draft copy of the minutes available for all councilors to study. Sullivan agreed to table the zoning change vote until the council’s next meeting, Feb. 22.
“We have all the information and insight to move forward,” said Sullivan.
Appointments
The council unanimously approved the appointment of Shelby Mason to the Council on Aging, with a term that will expire Feb. 7, 2025.
Christopher Miller also received unanimous approval for his appointment to the Building and Other Facilities Planning and Construction Committee, with a term that will expire on Feb. 7, 2025.
Sullivan thanked Mason and Miller for volunteering in town.
“Without our hundreds of volunteers, we wouldn’t be the great place we are,” he said.