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Date: 9/13/2023
LONGMEADOW — Peter Dadarria, senior project manager for BETA Group, reported to the Select Board on Sept. 5 regarding the condition of the town’s roads.
BETA Group assessed the street pavement and 17 municipally owned parking lots. The information can be used to create a pavement management program, which allows towns to plan and be proactive with capital expenses, Dadarrio said.
There are 92.56 miles of paved, town-accepted roads in Longmeadow. A total of 49.38 miles need “rehabilitation,” the most extensive category of maintenance. This involves milling the road and repaving it, as well as underground work in some cases. Roughly 42% need either routine maintenance or preventative maintenance, such as crack filling. The total maintenance cost to bring these roads up to like-new condition is $24.35 million, with $20.81 million spent to rehabilitate the worst roads in town.
Of the parking lots assessed, 38% of them require rehabilitation. The cost to repair all the parking lots would be $1.86 million.
In determining which roads should receive priority attention, Dadarrio said there are considerations beyond the condition of the road, including repair costs, future utility work, sidewalks, location, if maintenance will improve the life of the road and whether it is a main artery or a neighborhood street.
Dadarrio pointed out that dedicating $1.4 million per year to road improvements will keep the town’s streets from deteriorating further. Bringing all the streets to like-new condition would be a significant investment above that. Currently, Longmeadow spends about $1 million in capital funds and state aid on road work each year.
Select Board member Mark Gold asked DPW Director Sean Van Deusen how to manage the costs. Van Deusen told him the department would have to “get creative” with grants and work with the board to prioritize road repairs. On a positive note, he shared that the assessment found that the state owes Longmeadow $10,000 in unreimbursed road work.
Alcohol at community events
Last year, One-Way Brewing requested permission to set up a “beer garden” near the Town Green at the Longmeadow Fall Festival. Permission was granted and no issues were reported. As such, the brewery requested and received a one-day license to do the same thing this year. The company also requested a license to set up near the Green for Longmeadow Pride on Sept. 17.
Select Board Chair Thomas Lachiusa stated that he was against allowing the permit. “We’ve had festivals on the Green for 30 years with no alcohol,” Lachiusa commented. He made the argument that the beer garden would not be directly adjacent to the Green and therefore not connected to the festival. Select Board member Dan Zwirko said, “This is the same location that was vetted out last year.”
If the business were allowed to set up at the festival, Lachiusa said, “We need to know exactly how much alcohol is being served and we should get a percentage of the sales, adding that the town “deserves” it. Select Board member Josh Levine told Lachiusa that he had spoken with the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission, which said that while the town could demand a cut of the sales, it would make them a vendor. If anything were to go wrong because of the beer garden, the town would be liable.
Levine added that no other business was expected to give the town a portion of sales and Longmeadow should not “squeeze” a local business. Lachiusa countered that the business should be “heavily taxed” because it sells alcohol, which is an addictive substance that can lead to other issues in town, such as domestic violence, “which our police and fire are going to be dealing with.”
One-Way Brewing co-owner Jason Tsitso was available via Zoom during the meeting, but when it was suggested that he comment, Lachiusa remarked, “I already know what he’s going to say because he stands to make a nice profit.”
The permit was approved. Lachiusa and Gold, who had previously expressed hesitancy regarding alcohol at functions on town property, voted against it.
Pour Things Coffee
The Select Board approved a pilot period for Pour Things Coffee, a mobile coffee business, to operate at five locations in town. Co-owner Brianna Ashe had requested the business be allowed to operate without having to obtain one-day permits in the parking lots at Bliss Park, Blinn Tennis Courts and Wolf Swamp Fields, as well as the corner of Longmeadow Street and Benedict Terrace and in front of the Community House.
Gold said he was concerned that parking would be taken up by the business during busy events at the fields and Community House. He also reiterated that tax-paying businesses, such as Starbucks, may become angry that the mobile business is taking their customers. He commented on this at the last board meeting.
When asked by Select Board member Vineeth Hemavathi, Ashe said the business is run out of a standard-sized vehicle that only needs a single parking space. Hemavathi raised the question of whether operation at Wolf Swamp Fields would interfere with the concessions sold there.
Administrative Assistant Michael Barbieri said the Parks and Recreation Department was willing to allow the business to set up there for a limited time as a pilot.
Gold said it was “extraordinarily difficult” to permit an activity and then roll it back if it does not work out.
Levine expressed hesitation about the Community House location on Election Day because he felt the parking in that area should be reserved for voters. Parking may also be an issue on days when an event is happening on the Town Green, he said.
Lachiusa also did not approve of the Community House. He said it would set a precedent and commented, “We’re going to get food trucks all lined up there.”
Ashe responded that she had paid the fees to be a vendor at Longmeadow Fall Fest and Longmeadow Pride, two autumn festivals on the Green. As such, her business had a specified location away from the Community House those days.
The pilot was allowed until the end of the calendar year in December. The business does not operate in the winter months.
Finance director
Ian Coddington was selected as the Longmeadow finance director. Town Manager Lyn Simmons said she was recommending Coddington for the role because he had managed employees in the past and was comfortable explaining business and laws to boards, despite not having had experience in municipal work. Coddington acknowledged that he would need to obtain a government accounting certificate and said he was comfortable taking on hard work.
Lachiusa asked about experience with banks and navigating interest rates. Coddington said he has relationships built with some local banks and has had to keep an eye on how interest rates affect debt. When asked about the most challenging issues facing the town, he said the tax levy ceiling would need to be managed by keeping yearly spending under the legal limit.
Simmons said interim Finance Director Paul Pasterczyk has agreed to work with Coddington through the first budget cycle.