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Date: 6/21/2021
CHICOPEE – The Chicopee School Committee met to discuss the leasing of a new administration building and submitting a statement of interest to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) to begin renovations of Anna E. Barry School on June 15.
Renovations of the Chicopee School Department’s administration building has been a topic of discussion at previous school committee meetings, including one on April 21. During the April 21 meeting, the school committee spoke on structural concerns, concerns around disability access, lack of a ventilation system and space concerns in the building.
After a long discussion at the previous meeting, the committee came to the agreement that it may be a better option to look into leasing a new building. The cost of renovating the Admin Building, located at 180 Broadway St., would be extremely expensive and may only put a band-aid over the issues it has.
At the June 15 meeting, Scott Chapdelaine, director of maintenance, asked the committee to approve an agreement between Pendleton L.L.C. and Chicopee Public Schools for the lease of office space to be approved and the chairperson be authorized to sign.
The new building that Chapdelaine found for the administration building would be turn-key, large enough to accommodate different departments, be handicap accessible, have conference rooms and training rooms and have a good ventilation system.
According to Chapdelaine, leasing a building would be less expensive than renovating the current administration building. They would have a five-year lease which would cost $280,200 per year. Renovating the current administration building could cost anywhere from $14 million to $21 million, said Chapdelaine.
Superintendent Lynn Clark agreed that leasing this new building is a good idea.
“I believe it’s what we need. I mean, we are not a small district. The 15th largest in the state. We cannot function in a small building any longer,” she said.
School Committee Member David Barsalou disagreed due to the fact that the current administration building is historic to the City of Chicopee.
“I can’t support this in good conscience. 180 has been a designated historical structure,” he said.
Barsalou suggested that they renovate the current building in increments so that it isn’t a huge cost at once and strongly disapproved of selling it.
“I’m sick and tired of somebody making a profit off of the city and that’s what would happen if that building went to a condo developer,” he said.
School Committee Member Sandra Peret responded to Barsalou’s comments.
“As much as I love old buildings, sometimes they have maxed out on their use,” she said.
After a vote, the motion carried and the Chicopee School Department will go forth in leasing a new administration building.
During the June 15 meeting,the school committee also discussed starting the process to look into replacing Anna E. Barry School.
To begin, they would have to send a statement of interest to the state. This would need to first be approved by the mayor’s office and the city council.
After a vote, the motion carried to start the process of replacing Anna E. Barry School. The committee will initiate the process with their statement of intent for exploring the possibility of accessing MSBA funds for Barry School. If approved by the state, they will then look into the cost of the project.
Those interested in viewing the school committee meeting in its entirety are encouraged to visit the ChicopeeTV Facebook page.