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Date: 3/29/2023
CHICOPEE — A one-way street designation on Old Lyman Road was the source of significant debate during a March 23 Public Safety Committee meeting. While members of the public and city departments debated whether the street should be a one-way or two-way street, city officials discussed finding a tenable solution for both concerned groups.
Neighbors presented petitions with over 100 signatures in support and against the one-way street. In the words of resident Timothy Presz, the issue has morphed into a controversial talking point among the local neighborhoods.
“Clearly, the neighborhood has been divided,” said Presz.
For years, Old Lyman Road was designated as a two-way street. During a July 2022 Ordinance Committee meeting, members of the council approved changing the street to a one-way, which was followed by a vote of support from the full City Council.
A key factor that led to the change was a narrow indentation in the street. As former Ward 9 City Councilor Stanley Walczak explained, parts of the street are 36 feet wide before an indentation limits the street width to 16 feet. DPW Superintendent Elizabette Batista and City Engineer Doug Ellis performed an on-site visit that confirmed the street size in summer 2022.
Some residents are experiencing positive change from the one-way designation. Jeff Gagnon, an Old Lyme Road homeowner, said activity on the road is relatively peaceful after years of experiencing cut through traffic.
“I’ve lived there for 10 years, the neighborhood has never been quieter,” said Gagnon.
Marie Asselin of Deane Street estimated that 80% of traffic in the area has decreased. She detailed arduous past experiences dealing with speeding vehicles across her 37 years as a resident, from cars driving onto her lawn to knocking over her mailbox.
“I was tired of people running into my home,” said Asselin.
Other neighbors expressed that the change has not been for the better. Sandra Chagnon, a Blanchard Street resident for over 60 years, said all the traffic is now rerouted through her street. She shared that cars will often travel 50 to 60 miles per hour down the roadway as they cut through the street.
“I don’t think you fixed this problem; I think you moved it to another location,” said Chagnon.
Laura Stamborski, wife of Fire Chief Daniel Stamborski and a nearby resident of Old Lyman Road, noted that the change has worsened pedestrian safety in neighboring streets.
“Pedestrian safety has been compromised exponentially since the one-way street [designation],” said Stamborski.
Old Lyman Road also caused diverging opinions amongst city departments. Batista reiterated that she and her team opted for the one-way designation due to the street being too narrow.
“Once we went out there, it was found to be extremely narrow, too narrow for two-way traffic … we want to make sure what we decide is safe for everybody,” said Batista.
Police Chief Patrick Major explained that Old Lyman Road is now more difficult for public safety vehicles to traverse through as a one-way street. He said the department did not have any problems when it was a two-way street.
“It makes it a dangerous situation … it’s a point of concern,” said Major.
Fire Captain Katie Collins-Kalbaugh shared that it only takes 90 seconds for a fire to double in size. She said Daniel Stamborski remains against the one-way due to delays for emergency response vehicles, noting that he has since received emails from Ludlow and South Hadley fire department leadership that expressed similar concerns about responding to incidents in one-way streets.
Another wrinkle in the debate was the introduction of a potential conflict of interest. Ward 9 City Councilor Mary-Elizabeth Pniak-Costello presented three items of evidence, including deeds of purchase and sale, that connected Daniel Stamborski to Marten Street real-estate properties nearby Old Lyman Road. She said the state’s ethics commission informed her that Stamborski should disclose this information to the city clerk, which did not occur prior to the meeting.
“There should be a disclosure as to the financial relationship,” said Pniak-Costello.
Pniak-Costello aired concerns that the non-disclosure could create a sense of impropriety around the discussion.
Associate City Solicitor Daniel Garvey said he would have to review the materials and consult the ethics commission before making comments. Daniel Stamborski was not present for the meeting, but Laura Stamborski said she was “perplexed” by the accusation.
As the meeting progressed, the idea of widening Old Lyman Road to make it a two-way street became a common talking point. Batista said a design could be done if money was appropriated for it. She estimated that the entire project would cost $500,000.
“If the city would like to appropriate the money, we would design the widening of the road,” said Batista.
Ward 3 City Councilor and Public Safety Committee member Delmarina López motioned to send the Old Lyman Road discussion to the mayor’s office for a full cost-benefit analysis to be performed. She considered widening the street a solution that would not take sides on the issue.
“It’s not taking a side on the issue,” said López.
Other Public Safety Committee members, such as City Councilor At-Large Jerry Roy, Ward 8 City Councilor Gary Labrie, and Ward 7 City Councilor William Courchesne, also aired support for potentially widening Old Lyman Road.
“Let’s take the steps to get this going,” said Courchesne.
The Public Safety Committee voted unanimously to send the Old Lyman Road discussion to the mayor’s office for a cost-benefit analysis.
City Council President Frank Laflamme noted that the DPW has already established their projects for 2023, noting that the widening of Old Lyman Road could not occur until Spring 2024 at the earliest.
“We have some time to work with the mayor on this,” said Laflamme.