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Date: 2/19/2020
AGAWAM – A variety of topics were discussed at the regularly scheduled city council meeting in Agawam on Feb. 3, including a pipeline agreement between the town and Tennessee Gas, a generator replacement at the Agawam Middle School and several appointments.
The meeting began with citizen speak time where attorney and resident, Susan Grossberg, expressed her frustration at the City Council Workshop that took place on Jan. 27. “The public that attended the workshop with Tennessee Gas, we all left incredibly frustrated, particularly because we were not allowed to participate,” she explained to the council.
She said residents who attended the meeting “had many questions for Tennessee Gas, I gave you a three-page outline of some of mine.”
Grossberg went on to reference the gas explosions in Lawrence that took place in 2018, which resulted in one death and at least 25 injuries. “Lawrence was just over a year ago, and we all know what happened there,” she said. “These are not safe infrastructure[s].”
She then announced that she had formally submitted a petition for a public hearing.
“As you know, I submitted a petition with 149 signatures of Agawam voters, demanding that we hold a public hearing,” she stated. “President Johnson said he’s going to do that, and I’m very grateful for that. We would like to have Tennessee Gas there to answer our questions.”
After Grossberg was resident, John Coughlin, who addressed the council to ask for help supporting state legislation that he hoped would help eliminate the littering of nip bottles. “I’m here to ask your support in helping us to pass H2881. I attended a sub-committee meeting at the state legislature a week ago Wednesday and if we can get this bill passed it’ll put a deposit on nip bottles,” he explained.
He went on to explain to the council that he picks up “thousands and thousands of nip bottles” and feels “we have a social, moral and ethical responsibility to protect our open space, our lakes, rivers, ponds, the ocean for present wildlife, future wildlife, for our children and our grandchildren.”
The littering of nip bottles, he said, was not just a problem in Agawam, but all over Western Massachusetts. “I don’t care where you go because I clean all over Western Massachusetts, you find nip bottles. You could go on the streets, 24 hours go to the same street, you’ll find nip bottles, they’re everywhere,” he said. “I’m asking everybody in this room to call their state rep and tell them that you want H2881, it took almost two years to get a hearing.”
Following citizen speak time, City Council President Christopher Johnson acknowledged the receipt of the petition and scheduled a public hearing for Feb. 10, tabling the resolution for the Feb. 3 meeting.
“The clerk certified, I believe 135 signatures on the petition. The petition asks for a public hearing on this item, so with everyone’s permission my plan is to leave this item on the table,” Johnson explained. ”They submitted the petition in accordance with section 9-11 of the charter, which requires when a petition is submitted with 100 signatures that we call a special meeting within one week of the date of its filing.”
Following the scheduling of the special meeting, the council approved several appointments to various committees and boards. Violet Baldwin and Mark Paleologopoulos were each approved by the council for a new five-year term to the planning board, Alice Smith was approved for a three-year term to the historical commission, Lori Stickles was approved for a five-year term to the Agawam Housing Authority and Michael Dobise was approved for a term to the energy commission for a term that will expire on April 1.
The finance sub-committee, which met before the regularly scheduled meeting, also unanimously agreed to recommend motions TR-2020-3 and TR-2020-6. The first motion, TR-2020-3, was a grant for $6,500 from the Mass. Emergency Management Agency. Councilor Dino Mercadante said the grant was “to purchase two radios, a stream light, a charging station for flashlights, and streamlight scene light for the Agawam Emergency Department.”
The second motion, TR-2020-6, was a grant in the amount of $95,999 from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts State 911 Department. This grant, Mercadante explained, “is for enhanced telecommunications for the police department dispatchers, a grant well needed.” Both grants were voted to be accepted by the council.
Also voted on and recommended to be approved by a resolution to appropriate $1,205,806 to pay for the costs to repair a boiler at the Agawam Junior High School. “This is an appropriation that the town authorizes the treasurer to borrow the entire amount of the $1,205,806 for the project and to move this project along as it is well needed in the Junior High School here,” Mercadante said. “The town will be reimbursed to the tune of 58.37 percent of the total cost and when they are reimbursed it will go to reducing the borrowed amount.”
When all resolutions, public hearings and old business had been dealt with accordingly before adjourning for the evening, Councilor Gerald Smith brought up another issue he’d seen with one of the schools.
"I was up at Agawam High School this week, the roof up there has 175 leaks. I know some of it may have been hail damage and we’re probably waiting for the insurance company to come through,” Smith stated. “But it’s something that has to be done soon. It’s damaging the tiles, the walls. I’m sure we’re gonna get some black mold up there.”
He then went on to state that he’d been looking into the Massachusetts School Building Authority’s (MSBA) accelerated repair program, and suggested it could be an avenue by which the roof was able to be fixed quickly. “I don’t know if that would come into play or not. But the roof does need to be fixed right away, it can’t be waiting any longer,” he said.
The next city council meeting was hosted on Feb. 18.