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Date: 12/27/2018
CHICOPEE – Increased housing downtown, municipal broadband service and the end of a restuarant era were among the top stories in Chicopee in 2018.
Jan. 11 Boys and Girls Club enters 2018 with new programs, surplus
CHICOPEE – The Boys and Girls Club had a banner year in 2017 and is starting 2018 with greater financial stability and new programs.
The club’s executive director, Jason Reed described 2017 as a “pretty incredible year” to Reminder Publishing. The club saw close to a $1 million in revenue and achieved having a surplus of $130,000.
Reed said the positive situation came from an increase in revenue and developing operating efficiencies.
“We have been looking for efficiencies while giving the kids what they want,” Reed said.
The better financial picture allowed Reed to add three new positions. He was able to bring back a person to run the athletic program, which had been eliminated three years ago because of budget problems.
He also created a training coordinator job to help meet changing demands of the club’s members. Reed said the needs of today’s children change quickly and a training coordinator will help the staff stay on top of shifting priorities.
There is now a STEM (Science, Technology, Math) coordinator to develop and run science and math programs for the children. Reed said the club’s STEM program will help keep them ahead of the curve and will be available five days a week. The program will utilize the club’s 3-D printer.
Feb. 1 City Council to consider $27 million in capital expenses
CHICOPEE – It was the municipal equivalent of a preview of coming attractions.
The City Council received a $27.2 million list of future capital expenses from Mayor Richard Kos at a special meeting on Jan. 30 and while councilors spent the better part of two hours questioning the individual items, Kos said the list represented about one-quarter of the expenditures recommended by the city’s department heads.
The items will come up for vote in future meetings.
At one point in the conversation, City Councilor James Tillotson expressed concerns the city could not purchase the items on the list without affecting the tax rate. Tillotson said that with up-coming raises for municipal employees, the city budget might not be able to cover all of the expenses.
Kos assured him that everyone in the room shared his concern and that no one wants to increase the tax burden.
Councilor Gary Labrie spoke of “sticker shock” and said, “We never talked about this much money before at one time.”
The list includes two multi-million items: $4 million for the continued renovation of the Public Safety Complex and $16 million for structural work at City Hall. One million dollars was requested for additional demolition work at the former Uniroyal building.
Through the year the City Council considered an approved many of the proposed expenditures.
Feb. 15 Report concludes city would benefit from municipal broadband
CHICOPEE – A lengthy report and study about municipal broadband in the city made the conclusion that such a service would be welcomed by residents and businesses, alike and would be an element to encourage additional business growth.
The question is now whether or not the city would undertake such an endeavor and what would the timeline be like if it did.
The Chicopee Broadband Feasibility Study was prepared by Magellan Advisors for Chicopee Electric Light (CEL). The study goes into detail into the present broadband opportunities in the city for consumers and businesses and what a municipal service would be like if the city invested into expanding its fiber optic network.
The study explained that fiber optics could deliver a faster Internet service handing more information than the copper wire network currently in place through cable television services.
The report read, “However, the majority of Chicopee’s residents and businesses subscribe to broadband services from providers that use a copper-based infrastructure. There is an inherent bandwidth capacity limitation beset by copper-based infrastructure, and the delivery of Internet content is limited in areas where copper infrastructure exists and is shared by multiple subscribers.”
City Councilor Joel McAuliffe would like to see the city explore how to implement a municipal broadband service.
“It’s a home run,” McAuliffe said. Right now consumers and businesses either get their access to the Internet through DSL service through Verizon or through cable TV service offered by Charter.
March 8 Hu Ke Lau to close April 6, then be reborn
CHICOPEE – Andy Yee, co-owner of the Hu Ke Lau, diffused some of the rumors surrounding the iconic restaurant and its future, but left many questions unanswered at this point.
What a new Hu Ke Lau would look like, if it would remain a regional venue for comedy and other shows and what the timeline would look like for a new version of the restaurant are still undetermined at this time.
“It’s premature to talk about that right now,” he said of the next Hu Ke Lau. The company’s design firm would be making suggestions for the company to consider, he added.
“We’re not rushed. We’re going to do it right,” he said.
Speaking to the press on March 6 in the restaurant’s showroom, Yee confirmed the eatery would close on April 6, the same date it opened in 1965. He stressed the Hu Ke Lau would not be leaving Chicopee.
Yee said he and his family were preparing “a careful and thought-out plan” for the future.
He asserted the property is not for sale. “We’re here for the long haul,” Yee said.
Last week, demolition started on the iconic building.No plans for the property have been announced.
April 5 New hotel designed to appeal to Millennials
CHICOPEE – The new Tru hotel will be the first in this market that is designed to appeal to Millennials, according to its general manager Nicole Banbury.
Banbury explained the hotel, which is expected to open soon, is designed for people who want “an experience, not just a stay.”
The new hotel is taking the place of the Day’s Inn, which Banbury said was “past its time.”
The rooms are smaller, she said and the hotel’s design has a greater emphasis on the lobby, which will serve as a gathering place for guests. There will be two foosball tables as well as quiet areas for people who simply want to sit and read.
The desk clerk’s area, which she said is normally tucked to the side of a lobby, is in the center of it so there can be greater interaction between the guests and the staff.
“It’s really exciting,” she said.
The smaller rooms do feature a 55” TV and Banbury said the designers have removed anything “that doesn’t matter.”
Part of the Hilton chain, Tru will have a price tag of about $100 a night which is less than some competing hotels in the city.
The hotel represented a $11 million investment in the city.
June 8 Chicopee prepares legislation for adult-use marijuana
CHICOPEE – The city started the final approval process for its retail marijuana legislation at the City Council meeting on June 5. Kos said the recreational ordinance “mirrors” the ordinance concerning medical marijuana. There will be three types of marijuana businesses covered by the ordinance – business to business for wholesale sales; retailers; and businesses such a testing laboratories and research facilities.
The recreational ordinance would limit the number of retail stores to four outlets.
The ordinance reads that no retail store would be allowed within 500 feet of an school, any city parks, churches, libraries, playgrounds, youth centers or “other establishment at which youth under the age if 18 usually congregate.”
The ordinance also notes that such a store has to be at least 1,000 feet if any drug rehabilitation or detoxification facility.
June 22 Chicopee City Council approves $16m bond
CHICOPEE – In a discussion marked by anger, the Chicopee City Council ultimately voted in favor of a $16 million bond to pay for repairs to the Chicopee City Hall.
Four councilors – Joel McAuliffe, Jerry Roy, William Courchesne and Derek Dobosz opposed passing the bond at this time for various reasons.
McAuliffe said he would not vote for the bond until all of the union contracts with the city have been settled. The city and the Chicopee Education Association have not yet come to terms. McAuliffe also made a motion to return the proposal to the Finance Committee for more discussion.
Dobosz argued the $16 million was unnecessary and $8 million was needed to retire the structural integrity of the building. He opposed the renovation of the auditorium at this time.
He also expressed his concern that Mayor Richard Kos was not at the meeting “to face them.”
“This is the most immoral vote I will face in two years,” he said.
Courchesne called for additional options to the $16 million plan and Roy said, “I’m not in favor of total renovations of City Hall at this time.”
Sept. 13 Completed infrastructure prepares Cabotville for redevelopment
CHICOPEE – Because of a state infrastructure grant, developers for the former Cabotville Industrial park can move ahead with their plans.
Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito came to Chicopee on Sept. 6 to speak about the impact of the $2.6 million MassWorks Infrastructure Grant awarded in 2015 that has paid for major infrastructure improvement.
“You can’t see it here because it’s underground …. it’s absolutely critical to be in place to attract investment,” Polito said.
Planning Director Lee Pouliot explained to Reminder Publishing that the grant primarily funded a new waterline that would provide both domestic use and fire suppression system. There were spot improvements to the sewer lines serving the complex and electrical upgrades.
If the Silverbrook proposal of goes through for Cabotville 600 new apartments will be developed for the downtown neighborhood.