WESTFIELD – The City Council voted unanimously Thursday night to issue a license petitioned by the holder of the western Massachusetts Indian Motorcycle franchise license.
At-large Councilor, John J. Beltrandi, who is also the License Committee chairman, said the committee voted to send the full City Council a positive recommendation after adopting six conditions recommended by City Planner Jay Vinskey to address concerns raised by some council members and the Barnes Aquifer Protection Advisory Committee.
The conditions limit the possible contamination of the underlying aquifer from fuel and oil leaks and from deicing materials, urging the franchise to use the minimum possible and to consider environmentally compatible alternatives to rock salt.
Indian Motorcycle, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Polaris Industries Inc., plans to begin selling a line of motorcycles in 2014 and has set a goal of opening between 125 and 140 franchises in North America and 70 international franchises.
Indian will manufacture the Chief Line, with three models, at its plant in Spirit Lake, Iowa. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price for the Chief Classic is $18,999, for the Chief Vintage, $20,999 and for the Chieftain $22,999.
Dennis Bolduc, who holds the regional franchise, said that he plans to purchase the building at 962 Southampton Road. Bolduc said he is planning to tear down the front of the building, which served as the former home of Lou’s Fuel Services, to construct a new shop for Indian Motorcycles with a showroom that would be about 2,600 square feet in size.
Bolduc said recently that he hopes to get the project’s construction up as soon as possible, as a clause in his ownership with Indian states he must have the shop ready to go on January 1, 2014.
The project will also serve to be a costly investment for Bolduc and his wife Florence, who believe they will spend around $1 million on the project. Bolduc said that his goal is to “bring a great business to Westfield.”
The City Council also voted 12-1 to issue a fuel storage permit to Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., for it facility located at 33 Elise St., on the east side of Barnes Regional Airport.
The vote Thursday was the second time this year that the council approved an increase in fuel storage capacity at the high-tech aircraft maintenance facility. The initial vote increase fuel storage by 20,000 gallons at the company’s above-ground fuel farm. The vote Thursday will allow the erection of another tank, but with a different function.
Aircraft coming into the Barnes-based facility generally have fuel stored aboard and that fuel needs to be off-loaded before the jet can be towed into a hanger for maintenance.
The fuel tank, approved by the council last week, will be used to store, and filter, the off-loaded fuel which will be pumped back into the aircraft upon competition of maintenance work.
The lone dissenting vote was cast by At-large Councilor Agma Sweeney.
