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Date: 10/12/2021
AGAWAM – The Agawam City Council met on Oct. 4, where they approved a resolution accepting a grant for the Fire Department and a resolution to address health and safety concerns at the Rodrick I. Ireland Courthouse.
City Council President Christopher Johnson first shared TR 2021-57, “A resolution accepting a grant in the amount of $254,363.64, from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to the town of Agawam Fire Department.”
Johnson informed the public that this grant will be used in purchasing of personal protective equipment (PPE), consisting of 37 self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) cylinders and face pieces, each of which costs about $7,000. The grant will also go toward the purchasing of 26 SCBA voice amplifiers, which cost about $800 each.
“The condition of the grant is that the town has to cover 10 percent of the cost, which has already been built into and will be built into the Fire Department budget,” said Johnson.
Councilor Dino Mercadante said, “It’s obviously a no brainer to accept this grant.” He explained that prior to the City Council meeting, the Finance Committee voted 5-0 to accept this grant. Mercadante added that this will be paid through the Capital Improvement Plan for the Fire Department and the funds need to be used by August 2023.
The council voted unanimously in favor of TR 2021-57.
Next, Johnson shared TR 2021-58, a resolution urging the Massachusetts Trial Court, governor, and state Legislature to immediately address health and safety concerns at the Rodrick I. Ireland Courthouse.
Johnson said that this resolution was referred to the Community Relations Committee. Councilor George Bitzas informed members that the resolution was voted on prior to the City Council meeting and was approved unanimously, 5-0.
Councilor Rosemary Sandlin said, “I think the resolution speaks for itself. My many years in Boston working for the senator and myself as a state rep. – we have always been on the back burner of building a courthouse. We have had this problem for 25 years and the last time that any courts were built, they weren’t built in Western Massachusetts.”
She continued, “I think it’s time we put pressure on our governor and not only the governor because it’s really the trial courts that set the agenda for construction and it’s funded through trial courts.” As she believes this is a health concern, Sandlin is hopeful that other cities and towns in Hampden County will take a stand and send a letter to the governor and trial courts to show that this is unacceptable.
Mercadante agreed with Sandlin, but added that there is another avenue: state representatives. “We have to send a message to them strong. They’ve got to roll up their sleeves and got to get to work and they’ve got to help us put pressure on the powers to be to get this thing rectified,” he said.
Bitzas shared with his fellow members that the courthouse was built in 1976 and is one of the busiest in the state. He went on to say that mold was found in the books, carpets, seats and air vents.
Similar to Bitzas, several members expressed their concerns and the urgency of addressing these issues immediately.
When it came time to vote on the resolution, the Council voted unanimously in favor.