Curran proposes re-building program, moves police headquarters

Date: 7/26/2011

July 25, 2011

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor

SPRINGFIELD — State Rep. Sean Curran has an idea he would like the committee assigned to drawing up a recovery plan for Springfield to consider: move the police headquarters from its present location on Pearl Street to the block between Howard and Union streets.

Curran said he has received many calls concerning the need for a new headquarters and he believes building a new public safety facility in the South End would have many advantages.

Part of his proposal would be to move the State Police offices from Northampton to the new facility and to turn over the existing Springfield headquarters building to Springfield Technical Community College to expand its campus.

Walking through the South End, Curran said he believes there would be easier access to State and Main streets as well as Sumner Avenue that could improve mobility for the police. The more than 400 officers and support staff could have a positive economic impact on South End businesses, he added.

Curran stated the city has spent close to $10 million to bring the State Police to the city and it would make sense to move them into Springfield.

“We need a dramatic event,” he said regarding the recovery of the South End.

As he walked in the neighborhood, one could see that many businesses are still closed.

He believes there would be adequate space if the former Zanetti Montessori School were demolished as well as some of the damaged buildings on Howard Street.

Curran has no idea of the cost of such a building and hoped the re-building effort would investigate the idea.

He said there is a real need to act now on any re-building ideas.

“Politically I’ve never seen an event have more state-wide and federal attention,” he said.

The first step would be to develop a list of projects and he believes they could be partially funded by a “tornado relief bond bill.”

“It’s not outside the realm of possibility,” he said.

The time to act on any project though is now. “The political will won’t be there in six months,” Curran said.