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Date: 2/22/2022
CHICOPEE – In an effort to improve infrastructure across the city, the City Council approved the funding of a project revitalizing Abbey Brook and removing the Bemis Pond Dams near Szot Park.
Mayor John Vieau introduced the item as a part of his mayor’s orders, sharing that the project will be funded at a price of $100,000. The Abbey Brook Revitalization Project funds come from a state Division of Ecological Restoration (DER) grant, which will initially be paid from the city’s free cash account before being reimbursed by the grant, according to Vieau.
Regarding the Bemis dams’ removal, Vieau said the restructuring is a byproduct of the structures’ failed inspection by the Office of Dam and Safety. “The Office of Dam and Safety has told us we either need to replace that dam or remove it. We’ve all decided to remove it. This is going to help with design of that passive area around the Abbey Brook,” said Vieau.
Planning Director Lee Pouliot discussed the significance of DER grant support, with the new item serving as the third DER grant that the Abbey Brook Revitalization Project received. He shared that the first grant provided $25,000 in technical assistance to gain “priority status” in the DER’s eyes before receiving $100,000 to advance the design and engineering work.
“We’re deep into the permitting process for this, and we’ve also been working aggressively on some construction grants, particularly through FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency] …This is a continued partnership with DER, they’ve been excellent with us in navigating what is a very complicated process,” said Pouliot.
Before beginning construction on the project, Pouliot shared that the Planning Department is continuing to secure permits and other grants, including reaching out for a FEMA Go grant that would cover most construction costs.
“Right now, we’re prioritizing getting some of the permits moving. In April, we want to start the public process and start getting public feedback on the concepts we’ve developed thus far,” said Pouliot.
The council approved the grant in a unanimous vote.
COVID-19 Update
The mayor also provided a COVID-19 update during his mayor’s orders. Vieau expressed that the omicron variant’s impact on Chicopee continues to dwindle. After tallying over 400 cases in prior weeks, the mayor said the city only has 130 open cases as of the meeting date. The city is also considering removing the mask mandate within municipal buildings, according to Vieau.
“We’re tracking COVID-19 numbers very closely. They are trending in the right direction,” said Vieau.
Starting on Feb. 28, Vieau also shared that the city’s COVID-19 testing site at River Mills Senior Center will reduce operation to one day a week. He explained that the change is motivated by a significant decrease in activity at River Mills, with 23 people testing the day before the meeting. “Demand has decreased significantly. If the situation changes, we will adjust,” said Vieau.
The City Council will meet again on March 1.