School Street Park plans reevaluated

Date: 1/31/2012

Feb. 1, 2012

By Debbie Gardner

debbieg@thereminder.com

AGAWAM —It was only a few points, but it made the difference between breaking ground on phase two of School Street Park and mapping out a strategy for a second try at a grant.

Ad Hoc Recreation Committee Chairman and City Councilor George Bitzas announced at a joint Jan. 25 meeting of his and the Ad Hock Community Preservation Commission (CPC) subcommittees that Agawam had missed receiving a $500,000 reimbursable Parkland Acquisitions and Renovations for Communities (PARC) grant from the state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) by a mere six points.

“We had 56 points, the other 17 communities [awarded grants] had 61 points,” Bitzas said.

Agawam, he further explained, had fallen short of the state’s criteria in three areas associated with the grant —School Street Park is not on a public transportation route, the town has not adopted the state’s Stretch Energy Code and achieved Green Community status, nor does it qualify as an Environmental Justice Neighborhood.

According to the EEA website, to be considered an Environmental Justice Neighborhood, a community must demonstrate that either 65 percent of its population earns less than the state’s median income or 25 percent is a minority, is foreign born or does not demonstrate English language proficiency.

According to statistics from the 2009 census, less than 6 percent of Agawam’s population is considered minority.

Director of Planning and Community Development Deborah Dachos said last week that the Energy Commission would be submitting the Stretch Energy Code to the City Council for consideration within the next few weeks.

Christopher Sparks, director of the Department of Parks and Recreation told Reminder Publications though Agawam does not qualify as an Environmental Justice Neighborhood, he was researching whether or not the town could partner with another community to meet that requirement in the future.

“[School Street Park] is considered a regional park,” he said.

Bitzas said because of the grant’s rejection, the City Council was withdrawing the authorization to expend $2 million in CPC (CPC) funds for phase two of the park as well as the resolution to accept the anticipated grant.

He added that, according to Sparks, the town could have another chance to reapply for a PARC grant in April, if the state makes funding available.

Bitzas added that he was told if Agawam passed the Stretch Energy Code and achieved Green Community status, that would add points to the application and the town would have a “very good chance” of receiving a PARC grant.

“Right now the town has to regroup and figure out how to proceed,” Sparks said, adding that the plan is to hire Berkshire Design Group to turn the park’s “conceptual master plan into a realistic final plan that will give us a more accurate construction cost,” something necessary to apply for funding.

He said the plan is to go back to the CPC to request a funding allocation for “design purposes only” at this time.