WESTFIELD – The City Council will discuss, and possibly vote, on a motion Thursday night to transfer land on Ponders Hollow Road to the Park and Recreation Department to satisfy a requirement of the National Park Service.
The land transfer is intended to meet the National Park Service playground conversion requirement for the 1.3 acres of the Cross Street Playground which is being used for construction of a new elementary school. Construction of the 96,000-square-foot school is opposed by some residents of that neighborhood and several members of the City Council.
The council’s Legislative & Ordinance Committee voted 2-0 Tuesday night to recommend approval of the transfer of the “care, custody, and control of certain parcels in the City of Westfield” from the Fire Commission, which voted to surplus the property, to the Park & Recreation Department to satisfy the National Park Service conversion process.
The 4.68 acres of land was purchased for one dollar for the purpose of constructing a fire training facility. The facility was never constructed and the land was used for training and testing fire pumpers and hoses. A fire training facility was constructed in Springfield and is used as a regional training facility.
L&O Chairman Ralph Figy, who has encouraged debate of the issue, allowed members of the community to speak again Tuesday night. Residents raised a number of questions about the suitability of the land for recreational purposes and the need to perform environmental testing of the site which was used at one time and an informal dumping ground.
Figy said that the first step in any process regarding the land is to approve the transfer to the Park & Recreation Department which could then seek state and federal grant funds to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the site and determine its suitability.
“We are famous in this town for putting the cart before the horse,” Figy said. “Once we transfer care and custody of the parcel to the Park and Recreation Department, everything else will fall into place.
“This parcel has been neglected for many, many years because the Fire Department does not have the financial resources or expertise to maintain it,” Figy said. “The Park and Recreation Department will have resources to maintain the levee.”
The L&O will also bring out motions relative to an agreement between the School Department and the Russell Board of Selectmen to lease a former school needed to house students from Juniper Park Elementary School next fall.
School Business Manager Ron Rix said the city will pay $250,000 a year to the Town of Russell for used of the school building. The School Committee approved an 18-month lease of the Russell building, with three six-month extensions, for a total of three years.
The School Department will also be responsible for custodial services and purchasing heating oil for the building.
