In my old life as a safety consultant, I spent a lot of time in the car driving across New York and New England, listening to the radio. One of my favorite bits was the late, great Paul Harvey’s “The Rest of the Story.” I write today to share with you the case I have laid out requesting the city council authorize a $10 million bond to fund vital repairs at Westfield High School, Westfield Vocational-Technical High School, and the historic Westfield City Hall. Over the past eight weeks, our team has worked hard to provide the city council with the information they need to feel comfortable that 1) the project is needed and 2) that the project is affordable.
The first question has seen very little debate, and I am confident that the council’s questions on the merits of the project have been answered. Briefly, since the city commissioned a 2010 report on the Conditions of City Buildings and having brought on the Siemens Corporation under an energy management services contract, I have made it a priority of my administration to address the enormous backlog of capital improvements that have been caused by insufficient maintenance investments over the years. We have replaced boilers, roofs, windows, and HVAC systems across the city in an effort to lengthen the lives of some our city’s most important buildings, including Westfield Vocational-Technical High School, police headquarters, fire headquarters, the DPW garage on South Broad Street, and several other school buildings.
At Westfield High School, it is critically important that we provide an upgrade to the school’s air-handling and ventilation systems. Built in 1973, most of the building’s HVAC equipment has outlived its useful life. In order for fresh air to circulate and for a healthy learning and work environment, this investment is vital.
Westfield Vocational-Technical High School has been largely rehabilitated in the first phase of our capital investment program, but additional work remains. Additional rooftop units and room unit ventilators, and a smart-technology energy management system to control temperature would complete the mechanical repairs to the building. Lastly, because of deferred maintenance issues, floors in both the gymnasium and in the auditorium need to be replaced due to water damage. These are both important public spaces. In fact, as an aside, last month I was pleased to attend the “Into the Arts” program sponsored by the Volunteers in Westfield Public Schools (VIPS) program. The open house provided a tremendous opportunity to showcase the improvements we have made at Voc-Tech. I am hopeful, upon completion of the stage renovations at the auditorium on upper campus (the Old High School), the city might be able to attract cultural performances to the facility.
Lastly, and probably most controversial, are the improvements planned for city hall on Court Street. Our team proposes to replace the old boiler system, install for the first time a central air conditioning system to replace inefficient and unsafe window units, replace the fire alarm and fire suppression systems, completely replace and upgrade the electrical service and lighting systems, and make modifications to offices, and layout. Having just completed improvements to the building envelope, including windows, roofs, and brickwork, our building is finally dry. All told, this renovation of city hall is expected to cost approximately $262 per square foot of space. When replacement value is estimated at closer to $340 per square foot, I found this to be the responsible alternative.
I could go on about the importance of this long-term investment, but nobody on the council has questioned that. Instead, they have focused on the city’s financial condition and whether or not this project is affordable. I certainly respect the council’s fiduciary responsibility to ensure our plan is affordable, and my team and I have worked hard to demonstrate that the city is able to finance this project and meet our obligations going forward. When some members were uncomfortable with my projections and asked that we take a second look, I did so happily. Once I presented my revised projections and rationale based upon the concerns they shared, the majority of the council have demonstrated that they are more comfortable.
One member of the council, however, remains unconvinced, and that is his prerogative. Our opinions on affordability differ. I’m OK with that. What troubles me is the councilor’s unwillingness to provide an alternative of his own. Years of deferred maintenance on the Voc-Tech and city hall have added over 1.5 million dollars in repair costs that could have been avoided if action was taken to repair roofs when the leaking started decades ago. We’ve seen the consequences of the do nothing option and frankly the city can’t afford to go down that road again. While the jobs of councilor and mayor are very different, they don’t need to be adversarial. If he doesn’t like me, that’s fine. If his top priority is to try to make my administration look bad, that’s fine too. But it would be incredibly less painful for all involved if we could, for a little while, get past the politics of personalities and onto constructing solutions.
I am not naive enough to think that once this vote is taken that this exercise will end. I am sure there will be a councilor or two who will find fault with the budget I present in May. My promise to the citizens of Westfield is that I will continue to do my best to set our city on a path toward long-term sustainability, and when others have a different opinion, I will sleep soundly knowing where my motivations come from.
For the specific information I submitted to the city council on this matter, please visit http://www.cityofwestfield.org/index.aspx?nid=182
“Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference” –Reinhold Niebuhr
Mayor Daniel Knapik
