There is a Home Rule Petition currently before the City Council and in the L&O sub-committee to accept a four acre parcel on Ponders Hollow Road as replacement land for the Cross Street property. (Required to move forward in the proposed new elementary school project IF the neighbors protesting the project prevail on appeal) The City has been looking for Article 97 replacement property for many years and this is the third selection to date.
There are some issues with this particular property including the fact that there is a levy running diagonally through the property. The Army Core of Engineers has firmly communicated with the City regarding the strict requirements surrounding any construction activity on or near this levy (officially called the Little River Dike).
We have before us an estimate from Tighe and Bond to simply upgrade the levy that totals $1,445,789. The cost to move the levy from the center of the property would be much higher.
The plans for this replacement land would be to build two playing fields, a multi use field and a baseball field. One can easily appreciate the value of adding to our inventory of fields but the logistics are problematic.
Michael Bachand from the Army Corps of Engineering will be in Westfield on Monday evening at 6:30 to meet with the Flood Control Commission. This is a public meeting open to the public. Mr. Bachand will be able to give us more information on the requirements and rules required to both move the Little River Levy and to build playing fields on this property.
Once we determine our estimated costs of this entire project (making this Ponders Hollow Road compatible with installing playing fields) and review a few other sticking points we will most likely have a Council vote on sending this home Rule Petition to our State legislature.
Sincerely,
Mary O’Connell
City Councilor
Ward 4
25 Old Park Lane
Westfield, MA 00185
