Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 12/29/2021
CHICOPEE – In a collaboration between City Councilors, School Committee members and the Police Department, the Public Safety subcommittee discussed speeding concerns in school zones during their Dec. 13 meeting.
Public Safety Committee President and Councilor At-Large Robert Zygarowski hosted the meeting, which was assembled due to concerns from Ward 9 Councilor Stan Walczak, Ward 9 School Committee member Mary-Elizabeth Pniak-Costello and Ward 7 School Committee member Donald Lamothe about school zone speeding concerns. “I know the concern of the school committee. Safety is the most important thing,” said Walczak.
While Walczak thought some schools did not pose speeding issue, Lamothe noted that Chicopee High School, Bowe Elementary School and Stefanik Elementary School endure regular speeding. The School Committee member stressed that speeding is an all-day issue within these areas. “It’s pretty much a racetrack,” said Lamothe. With the growing concern, Lamothe argued to the committee that a decrease in speeding tickets has been a prime cause of the reckless driving.
“I don’t see it being addressed. Something has got to be done to slow these people down,” said Lamothe, who believes ticketing has reduced significantly since the start of the pandemic. Pniak-Costello further supported Lamothe’s concerns, noting how the speeding in school zones presents a direct impact to students, school buses and constituents in nearby neighborhoods.
Interim Deputy Chief Jeffery Gawron discussed the department’s efforts to combat speeding in these critical areas. “We’re doing our part, but a lot of times, we have a district car that covers two areas. Mind you, when there’s an incident, those cars are tied up,” said Gawron, who mentioned that the department still tries to have officers overlooking school zone areas. While the police chief believes the city has enough officers to cover each area, he stressed that the department can’t be everywhere at once.
Zygarowski defended Gawron and Chicopee Police Department’s efforts, citing a lack of staffing as a core reason for less frequent tickets. “We’re so short of help that we don’t have the manpower we would like to do,” said Zygarowski. The councilor mentioned that the infusion of nine officers who are in police academy and 15 who are waiting to enter the academy will help combat the issue.
“Hopefully, when all these officers are put on, they are going to make a real difference,” said Zygarowski. Councilor At-Large Frank Laflamme also applauded Gawron and his department’s efforts to protect the city despite the constrained staffing.
Once the additional officers are incorporated, Gawron stated his desire to dedicate more staff to traffic enforcement. “I would like to have three more people who do nothing but traffic…but it takes time,” said Gawron. The police chief said the department will further analyze speed ticketing and car crash data to construct a finite plan to address safety.