Town readies for first hurdle to new high school track

Date: 6/6/2012

June 6, 2012

By Debbie Gardner

debbieg@thereminder.com

AGAWAM — A replacement for Agawam High School's (AHS) aging track may finally become a reality, thanks to a pending agreement in the Legislature on how Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds can be spent.

And though the Senate and House haven't completely ironed out their differences on community reimbursements under the state's fiscal year 2013 budget, City Councilor George Bitzas said he has already asked the town's legal department to begin preparing a track proposal for the Community Preservation Commission (CPC).

"As soon as the legislation is signed by Gov. [Deval] Patrick, we have an application ready for the Community Preservation Commission and the [City] Council," Bitzas said.

At the April 25 CPC meeting, members discussed the need for repairs to or replacement of the current AHS track, which is a cinder surface and not certified for competition. This problem, they noted, means the high school track team can only compete in away meets. However, under existing CPA funding rules, work on or replacement of an existing recreational facility such as the track is not an eligible project.

On May 24, the Community Preservation Commission released an update stating that the Senate and House versions of pending CPA legislation both approved changes to funding guidelines to include existing recreational projects. Prior to this change, CPA funds could only be used for work on recreational facilities that had been acquired or built with CPA funds, not ones that already existed within a municipality.

Bitzas said two years ago, Agawam was among the first towns, if not the first, to lobby the Legislature to expand CPA funding rules to include existing recreational facilities.

Mayor Richard Cohen said that, based on legislation brought forth by Bitzas, the Agawam City Council sent an appeal for the CPA funding change to the state. His office also sent letters to surrounding communities asking for their support for the proposed CPA rule change now being considered.

"This new legislation, when passed, will allow communities to do projects they would not be able to do," Cohen said. He added that, while the town is being proactive in preparing a track proposal in advance of legislation passage, "there are still a lot of unanswered questions" about the project.

At the April CPC meeting, committee members were unclear regarding which town department had jurisdiction over the school's current track, the School Department or the Parks & Recreation Department. The mayor said questions about a possible new high school also cloud the picture.

However, despite these concerns, Cohen said a new track "is something our community needs and wants," but movement on the project "depends on passage of legislation at the state level."