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Date: 1/25/2023
AGAWAM — The City Council voted unanimously on Jan. 17 to approve spending $130,700 from the Community Preservation Fund to renovate the town’s Skate Park.
Councilor George Bitzas, chair of the council’s Community Relations Committee, said his committee approved the allocation and explained the renovations to the skate park were necessary for safety.
He said that he and other councilors visited the facility at Shea Field, and said, “Twenty years, nothing had been done [to improve the park] … it was an eye-opener.”
The funding will be used to purchase and install new ramps at the parks and repair other ramps.
In a 2021 story in The Reminder, Dan Dziuban of Westfield, owner of Theory Skate and Snow in Northampton and Holyoke, said Agawam’s skate park is the most popular of such parks in Western Massachusetts, and said it draws between 100 to 150 skaters each day.
Parks and Recreation Director Christopher Sparks explained to Reminder Publishing the timeline for the project depends on the weather, as a moderate winter could mean work starts before the spring. Another time factor is how soon local asphalt plants reopen.
He said the job includes the removal of all the ramps and complete replacement of the asphalt surface, which he called “almost unskatable” in its current condition. Then six new ramps would be installed and other ramps refurbished.
The bid for the job has already been awarded to Adam Clark, who is a skater himself, of Adam Clark Construction in Westfield.
Sparks believes a renovated skate park should be open by summer.
Other grants
The council accepted a state grant of $24,000 to install an accessible ramp between Agawam High School and the Agawam Public Library. The grant will reimburse the town after construction is done.
The council also accepted two grants that would affect Agawam’s seniors. A grant of $1,500 from the Massachusetts Council on Aging will fund a new brochure to detail the activities offered by the Agawam Senior Center. A grant of $7,700 will provide respite care to help caregivers to take a break from their charges.
The council reappointed Charles Elfman and Frank DeStefano to the Planning Board, as well as Julie Warzecka to the Agawam Housing Committee.
Zoning rewrite
Council President Christopher Johnson explained to the council he believes the council will need assistance to tackle four tasks this year, the largest one involving a rewrite of the zoning bylaws. He proposed hiring a new law clerk, perhaps a student from the School of Law of Western New England University. The council had $3,500 that could be used to pay for the position, and Johnson said hiring a clerk would be much less expensive than hiring a lawyer, since the job entails research and writing.
Johnson said more funding may be necessary.
“There hasn’t been a comprehensive rewrite of our zoning since the 1950s,” Johnson said.
He added that both the mayor and the city solicitor are in favor of taking a fresh look at issues such as zoning.