WESTFIELD – The City Council approved a resolution for the city to lease office space for the School Department’s administration and to allow Mayor Daniel M. Knapik to negotiate and enter into a nine-year contract.
The council’s Legislative & Ordinance Committee, which discussed the lease proposal Wednesday night, gave a 3-0 positive recommendation to approve the resolution.
At-large Councilor Brian Sullivan, L&O chairman said the school office lease package is for a five-year pact, with two two-year extensions available to the city, at the same cost, if a permanent location for the school administration is not identified.
Sullivan said there were three bids submitted, all in the Westwood office complex on North Elm Street. The three bids, for different amounts, are on three floors of the building. The city is interested in the least costly of those options, space on the top that the City Hall administration used last year while City Hall was being renovated.
The school administration has been located at the Hampton Ponds Plaza on North Road for the past three years. Sullivan said the Westwood proposal will cost more than the Hampton Ponds location.
The city will spend $3,500 more a year, but it will not have to pay for supplies and services such as plowing and trash collection.
At-large Councilor and L&O member, James R. Adams, said the cost of the Westwood building is $74,000 a year, but that is still substantially less than the cost of operating the former Ashley Street Elementary School which was demolished as part of the proposed elementary school construction project.
“When the administration was at Ashley Street, that building was costing $130,000 a year because of the heating,” Adams said.
At-large Councilor David A. Flaherty said the lease for 6,000 square feet of prime office space at $14 per square foot “is a pretty good deal for a fully loaded lease. I say let’s go for it.”
Flaherty then proposed an amendment that Knapik negotiate a lease “not to exceed” the $14-per-square-foot number and that the cost, and level of services, remain constant throughout the term of the lease, up to the nine years proposed.
Sullivan supported Flaherty’s amendment.
“This authorizes the mayor to negotiate,” Sullivan said. “Maybe he can get it lower.”
Adams said he also agreed with Flaherty’s amendment, but had concerns the council was treading on the turf of the executive branch.
“I like the amendment. I’m comfortable with the $14 figure, but we do have to be careful here,” Adams said. “We’re not negotiating the contract. The mayor is negotiating,”
“We can’t tie his hands,” he said.
