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Date: 3/23/2021
WEST SPRINGFIELD – A Billboard Overlay District is now implemented on Interstate Drive.
During a Town Council meeting on March 15, the council continued the conversation surrounding a petition for a zoning ordinance and map amendment to establish billboards that would be installed on Interstate Drive.
The petitioner of the project is Tom McNulty of Rogers Avenue and 19 other registered voters.
Councilor Sean Powers announced that the Ordinance Committee unanimously passed four motions regarding the proposal.
The first changed the entirety of the overlay district from by right to a special permit. The second changed the setback throughout the district’s entirety from 5 feet from any property line to 25 feet. The third required anyone looking to have a billboard or digital billboard to file for a public hearing and inform the council of their plans. The fourth motion passed altered the distance and district between signs from 1,000 feet to 1,500 feet. Powers shared that they cannot make it less than 1,000 feet, but they can distance them out more.
After Powers read through the motions, Councilor Edward Sullivan brought forward five amendments to the motions, and the council approved them all.
In short, anyone who wishes to have a billboard must request a special permit so the council has control of what is happening with the new billboards.
The petition and amendments were passed 8-1.
During the meeting, Powers withdrew his ordinance regarding outdoor seating without prejudice.
“This ordinance was initially submitted pre-COVID to help out local restaurants who might not have the ability to add outdoor seating. Last year, essentially with the exceptions that the governor put in place for outdoor seating, which allowed for businesses and restaurants to move into public ways with certain restrictions or utilize parking spots,” Powers said.
He continued to say that he does not see the state rolling back any exceptions this summer. Powers shared that he thinks one more summer to see how the town interacts with businesses and see how the companies interact with their neighborhoods cannot do anything but help them learn more.
After the council meeting, Mayor William Reichelt released a prepared statement stating that outdoor dining in the city will be available to West Springfield businesses through Nov 1.
In the prepared statement, Reichelt said, “with all of the difficulties that businesses faced as a result of the pandemic, we are pleased to be able to continue to offer this option to restaurants to allow them to increase their seating capacity while allowing residents the comfort of being able to dine in an open-air environment.”
During public speak, resident Antonio Sorcinelli announced that he was running for School Committee and addressed his concerns surrounding the budget.
Sorcinelli said that he wants to make it known that 300 students have left the West Springfield school system but noticed there was an increase in the proposed education budget and feels like that is a slap in the face to the families that transferred their children to private education or paid for programs like the boys and girls club.
“A proportionate reduction in teaching staff would be about 30 layoffs, and we need to hold the union responsible. If they are going to advocate for something that results in a mass exodus from public schools, they need to consider it could result in a loss of funding for them as well. Maybe they will consider the impact of their actions a little more carefully in the future,” Sorcinelli said.
“I am just asking this council to spend this town’s money as carefully as you would spend your own. I also feel there needs to be an incentive for teachers to be in the schools, even if there was as little as a 10 percent decrease in pay when teaching remotely written into their contracts. It would be a deterrent for them to advocate for remote learning,” he added.
During the petitions, remonstrances, and communications portion of the meeting, Powers gave the public an update to the Comcast data caps. He announced that there would be a regional panel with Springfield, West Springfield, Holyoke, Northampton, and Agawam. There is no set date as to when that panel will be formed.
Powers announced that the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) would be investigating the CSX Railroad. He told Reminder Publishing that CSX has federal authority, and that complicates upgrades to the city.
Powers mentioned that they have a bridge off Union Street and sewer lines on their property that needs upgrades, but CSX will not allow them. For at least a decade the city has been having issues with the company blocking the throughway from West Springfield to Agawam for up to an hour sometimes.
After press time, Reichelt hosted a community forum where people could express their concerns. The town will take the written testimonies and submit them to be a part of the DPU investigation.
Written submissions can be submitted until March 30 at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1yFU8Ch5EJdt0wbPzuIa8x8fADAkhc_f2yaa7YJtIgvw/.
The council approved the transfer of $25,839.20 from the wage negotiation account to various accounts.
The wages Department of Public Works (DPW) operations account will receive a total of $11,145.33, wages DPW flood will get $2,895.01, wages municipal grounds will get $6,792.68, wages school grounds will receive $1,791.50, and wages forestry will see a transfer of $3,214.68.
“The purpose of this transfer is to fund the fiscal year 2021 (FY21) general fund cost of the contract settlement for the United Public Service Employees Union Laborers,” said Councilor Nathan Bech.
The council approved the reappointment of Attorney Mary Paier-Powers to the West Springfield Council on Aging (COA) and Wendy Hutchins to the West Springfield COA. Both terms will expire on March 15, 2024.
The council also accepted two new business items.
The first was the Melanson Health Audit reports year ending June 30, 2020. Bech said the reports include the annual financial statements, the independent auditors’ report according to government auditing standards, and uniform guidance. The second was to authorize Reichelt to convey to Mill City LLC Easement located at 101 Front St., also known as 70 Front St.
Councilor Brian Clune announced that on March 29, Vietnam Veterans Day, there will be a ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Monument at 10:30 a.m.
Councilor Michael Eger also announced that during their next meeting on April 5, there will be a public hearing on restricting access into Circle Drive.