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Date: 7/21/2022
PALMER – The Palmer Town Council met to oversee a variety of agenda items including an update on public works projects and reuse options for Converse Middle School at their July 11 meeting.
Director of Public Works Matthew Morse told the council that 2022 street paving will begin soon on the streets of Palmer. He said that many streets are going to be repaved this year, which is exciting given that there was no street paving in 2021.
He also said that the town is looking ahead to using Winter Recovery Funds. Morse said that the town received about $250,000 in funds recently.
This money could be used to expand their ongoing sidewalk project, which allows the town to fix cracks in sidewalks, replace any sidewalks necessary and rework sidewalks to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance.
According to Morse, fixing sidewalks could help improve the walkability score in town which, in turn, could help them receive funding from the state’s Complete Streets Funding Program.
This project is in the very beginning stages and the town is hoping to collaborate with the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, said Morse.
The meeting then shifted to a discussion on the reuse of the Converse Middle School.
According to Town Manager Ryan McNutt, the town is either going to look at options to reuse the vacant middle school or sell it.
McNutt said that they have already hosted a community meeting and heard resident feedback and that it is time to decide what they want to do.
If the town is looking to keep the building, then they will need to do “some sort of feasibility study,” and to do this study, they will need to make a determination about what they would be looking to use the property for, said McNutt.
If the town is looking to sell the building, then there would be no need for a study, and it can be placed on the market.
Some ideas for what the building could be used for are a new senior center, school administration offices, a community building or even an e-sports arena.
There are currently two e-sports arenas in New England, with the closest being in Foxborough. McNutt said that the town has been looking to see if there is a local market for an e-sports arena or if it would bring in new people and more money for Palmer.
The council voiced their concern that selling the building to a private company could turn it into “another property that just sits empty” in the town.
“I’m more than happy to go in any direction on this. I personally see the value in some private uses of the building, but I take all direction from the council,” said McNutt.
The council decided to move forward with completing feasibility studies to determine the cost of fixing and renovating the building, using it as a community building or looking into a possible e-sports arena.
Those interested in viewing the Palmer Town Council meeting in its entirety are encouraged to visit their community access page MPACT.