South Hadley to vote on whether to merge town's 2 fire districts

South Hadley to vote on whether to merge town's 2 fire districts
by The Republican Newsroom
Tuesday March 03, 2009, 6:00 PM

By SANDRA E. CONSTANTINE
sconstantine@repub.com

SOUTH HADLEY - Terrance B. Sugrue and his group Citizens to Unite South Hadley moved a step closer to getting a merger of the town's two fire districts Monday when the Select Board voted 4-1 to put a nonbinding question on the matter on the ballot for the April 6 town election.

The Select Board put the matter to a vote after about 20 minutes of discussion during a special session called to deal with Sugrue's petition to put a question the ballot. Select Board member Marilyn G. Ishler made the motion, which was seconded by Selectman Robert G. Judge. Selectman Gregory R. Sheehan cast the lone dissenting vote.

Sheehan said the matter of a merger should be settled in the districts. The districts consist of Fire District 1, which provides fire protection and water for the southern part of the community, and Fire District 2, which provides those services to the northern part of town.


"We have as much jurisdiction (over the districts) as we do over the town of Amherst," Sheehan said.

He also argued that putting the question on the ballot would open the door for anyone who can get the 10 signatures required to make a request to move forward and get a question on the ballot.

Ishler pointed out that this would not be the first time residents have been asked to vote on the matter in a town election.

"This is the opportunity for the residents of South Hadley to express an opinion," Ishler said.

"This is an important matter to the town," said Selectman John R. Hine, who is a member of Sugrue's group.

Sheehan went on to question whether Hine can vote on the issue because he is a member of Citizens to Unite South Hadley.

Select Board Chairwoman Carlene C. Hamlin said Sheehan should address his query to the district attorney's office.

"So we are going to take a vote without knowing that?" Sheehan said.

Town Clerk-Treasurer Judith E. Barthelette commented that putting the question on the ballot will be an expense, although she said she would not name any figures.

Mark A. Beauregard, the attorney for Fire District 1, urged the town to leave district business within the districts.

"Even if these ballots are nonbinding, they are divisive and confusing," Beauregard said. Following the meeting, Beauregard said Fire District 1 officials oppose a merger because it would raise taxes in Fire District 1 to "subsidize" lowering them in Fire District 2.

Raymond M. Hopfe, chairman of the Fire District 1 Prudential Committee, did not speak at the meeting and declined to comment afterward.

Sugrue has gotten Fire District 2 to put a nonbinding question on a merger on the ballot for its election on March 10 and is still working with Fire District 1 officials to get a question on the ballot for its election April 27.

Sugure and his group have argued a merger would be more efficient and save money by not duplicating services.

Former Michael's Market building razed after South Hadley officials intervene

Former Michael's Market building razed after South Hadley officials intervene

by The Republican Newsroom

Friday January 09, 2009, 5:00 PM

Photo by Dave Roback / The RepublicanCrews from Curran Construction take down the former Michael's Market on Main Street in South Hadley Friday.

By SANDRA E. CONSTANTINE
sconstantine@repub.com

SOUTH HADLEY - The long-vacant brick building at Main and Bridge streets that housed the former Michael's Market is being razed after an intervention by town officials concerned about its dilapidated state.

"We did not order them to tear it down; it did not come to that," said Building Commissioner Steven Reno on Thursday.

He and Fire District 1 Fire Chief William J. Judd spoke with officials at Dinn Brothers about the condition of the structure, which is owned by C+K II, a corporation listed as doing business at 318 Lewis Wharf, Boston, and owned by Carol Robinson and Kathleen A. Dinn.

Judd said the building is a hazard to the public because the air conditioning-heating unit is starting to fall through the roof, causing the west wall of the brick structure to bulge. The building is being taken down by James A. Curran General Contractors Inc. of Holyoke.

Paul J. Dinn, president of Dinn Brothers Trophies & Plaques, and a relative of Kathleen Dinn, declined on Friday to speak about the building or his family's plans for the site.

"We don't have a comment right now," he said.

The property is in a section of the Falls neighborhood targeted for redevelopment.

"As I understand it, it has been an eyesore; if the property is redeveloped, that would be even better," said interim Town Administrator Barry L. Del Castilho of the demolition.

The property is assessed at $209,000, with $166,500 of it being for the building.

Records in the assessors' office show that the corporation bought the property on April, 6, 1999, for $1 from Peter C. Connor. He had acquired it on Jan. 26, 1998, from Michael P. Murdza for $45,000.

Murdza purchased the property from George C. Sexton Jr. on May 29, 1992, for $123,000.

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Texon Building rehab project in South Hadley delayed by lack of financing

Texon Building rehab project in South Hadley delayed by lack of financing
Sunday, December 28, 2008
By SANDRA E. CONSTANTINE
sconstantine@repub.com

SOUTH HADLEY - The developer hoping to rehabilitate the former Texon Building into a $10 million retail complex with housing units says the project will be delayed at least a year because of the difficulty in securing financing in the current national economic climate.
"We are working on it, but the overall situation regarding funding real estate projects right now is very, very difficult because of the crisis we are going through," developer Herbert Berezin, of Longmeadow, said recently.

Because of the economic crisis, Berezin said many banks have stopped lending money for such projects.
He is hopeful of putting together public and private funding to convert the first two floors of the former mill building along the Connecticut River in the Falls section into space for such concerns as shops, offices, galleries, a restaurant and a health club.

The rest of the brick, 19th century building would be used as housing for people 55 and older. He hopes to create 65 to 75 units of housing consisting of studio and one-bedroom units.
"It is a huge building and it is in deplorable condition," Berezin said. "There are a whole host of problems that will have to be dealt with."

One of the difficulties is securing enough parking, he said. To that end, Berezin said he is negotiating with Northeast Utilities, which owns some of the parking area near the structure.

He noted that the project will require multiple approvals from various government agencies, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the town's Historical Commission.

Berezin has done a number of projects rehabilitating old mill buildings such as the Brassworks in Williamsburg, Leeds Village Apartments in Northampton and Sargeant Arms Apartments in Holyoke.
He is currently working on projects in the former Ampad Building in Holyoke and the Arts and Industry Building in Northampton.

"If it were to come to fruition it would set the tone for revitalization in the Falls," Selectboard Chairwoman Carlene C. Hamlin said of Berezin's project.

The building is held by the Holyoke Gas & Electric Department, which also owns the nearby Holyoke dam. As one of the conditions of the dam license the Holyoke utility has with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is that the building either be redeveloped or demolish.

The selectboard has agreed to allow razing of the dilapidated mill building to be put off until November 2011 as long as a new owner takes title to it by June 30, 2011.

Meanwhile, the Holyoke utility is expected to complete the Lower Riverside Park and a park near the dam gate house at the site by December 2009.

South Hadley raises demand fees on late tax bills

South Hadley raises demand fees on late tax bills
Sunday, December 21, 2008
By SANDRA E. CONSTANTINE
sconstantine@repub.com

SOUTH HADLEY - Town Collector Deborah L. Baldini asked the Selectboard to raise the demand fee on late bills from $5 to $10, but got more than she bargained for when they increased it to $30.

The Selectboard voted 3-1 Tuesday to raise the fee to $30, the new maximum allowed by the state. Selectman Robert G. Judge made the motion, which was supported by Selectman Gregory R. Sheehan and Selectboard Chairwoman Carlene C. Hamlin. Selectman John R. Hine, who voted against the $30 fee, had made a motion earlier for a $10 demand fee but it died for lack of a second.

"A lot of people are struggling right now. That's a big amount to penalize," Baldini said of the $30 demand fee, which took effect immediately.

The new fee means Baldini will lose her discretion to waive fees in instances which people have a good reason for paying late as long as the bill and the demand are $15 or less.

Judge commented before making the motion that a $30 fee should ensure that people do not let bills slide.

In fiscal 2008, Baldini collected demand fees on 524 real estate tax bills, 48 personal property tax bills and 2,726 excise bills. Excise bills are issued for motor vehicles, including motorcycles, and trailers.

That year, her office sent out about 16,300 excise bills, 7,038 real estate tax bills and 210 personal property bills.

A survey by Baldini's office shows that the following communities have raised their demand fees from $5 to $10: Amherst, Concord, Holliston, Hinsdale, Milford and Oxford.

Trash fees stable for next year

Trash fees stable for next year

By STEPHEN C. HILL
Staff Writer

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Fees for household trash collection will remain the same in 2009, but changes are coming, according to a report by the town's Solid Waste Advisory Committee.

The Selectboard voted Tuesday to keep fees at $39 per person per household for the coming year, but according to the committee's report, those fees could rise to $107 if the South Hadley landfill on Industrial Drive closes as scheduled at the end of 2010.

The anticipated fee increase would reflect the increased cost of disposing of trash once the landfill closes. Currently, the town's agreement with Interstate Waste Services, which runs the town-owned landfill, allows for most of the trash generated in town to be disposed of at no cost.

The committee recommends that biweekly curbside pickup continue but that a pay-as-you-throw program be instituted by the end of 2009. Charging more for those who toss more trash will serve two purposes, said John Higgins, committee chairman. It would be a more equitable system and encourage more recycling, which saves money and the environment, he said.

A technical assistance grant has been received from the state Department of Environmental Protection for 80 hours of help in formulating a waste reduction or pay-as-you-throw program.

An application to operate a transfer station at the current recycling center adjacent to the landfill is another committee recommendation. Once the landfill closes, the recycling center will not be able to collect bulk waste items or trash unless a transfer station permit is issued by the DEP.

Arlene Miller, a municipal assistance coordinator for the DEP who helped the committee, said a transfer station application should be straightforward but take 18 to 24 months nonetheless.

Both the transfer station application and waste reduction program will be explored by his department, said Jim Reidy, public works superintendent, but the closing of the landfill is not a certainty. The town is negotiating with Interstate Waste Services for a 21-acre expansion of the site.

"There is a possibility it could happen," Reidy said.

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Delay on Texon building OK'd

The Selectboard signed off on a delay in the disposition of the old Texon building on Canal Street but anticipates the development of two riverfront parks by the Holyoke Gas & Electric Department to begin next year.

The old mill building is owned by the Holyoke utility. As part of the federal Energy Regulatory Commission process of re-licensing the Holyoke Dam, it is required to sell the building to a developer or demolish it. A Holyoke developer with experience rehabilitating and converting old mills into multi-use buildings has expressed interest, said Town Planner Richard Harris, but the current credit crunch will delay the project a couple of years.

The Selectboard agreed to allow demolition to be delayed until November 2011, as long as a new owner takes title to the vacant, dilapidated 1900 building, which has more than 100,000 square feet of floor space and sits on 14 acres at the base of the dam, by June 30, 2011.

Meanwhile, HG&E will begin construction Lower Riverside Park below the building, which will have trails and picnic areas and Gatehouse Park upstream of the old dam. Both parks will include informational installations about the historic canal, the earliest commercial canal in the country.

Along with the town's redevelopment of the Beachgrounds Park, the parks represent more than $1 million in recreational investments on the riverfront, Harris said.

Chicopee bank opens South Hadley branch

December 16, 2008

South Hadley Charter Commission supports switch to mayor
Thursday, December 11, 2008
By SANDRA E. CONSTANTINE
sconstantine@repub.com

SOUTH HADLEY - The Charter Commission has completed a preliminary report on its plan to switch the town to a mayoral form of government that includes leaving the status of appointed and elected officials as is, having the mayor serve on the School Committee and creating a seven-member council.

"Anyone who is currently elected will remain elected and anyone currently appointed will remain appointed," Commission Chairwoman Constance A. Clancy said Tuesday. "We don't want to make too many changes. We want to streamline the town with a new form of government, but we do not want to make changes across the board."

There is some sentiment in town that residents rejected a previous charter commission's recommendation in 2000 to adopt the mayoral form of government because it proposed changing a number of elected positions to appointed ones. In April of that year, residents voted 2,248 to 1,865 to reject a charter change.

The preliminary plan has been sent on to the state Attorney General's office to be checked for legal form.
South Hadley currently has a Town Meeting form of government with elected members along with a Selectboard that directs a town administrator.

Clancy said the preliminary report will be published, probably by the middle of next week, in a local newspaper. The next step will be a public hearing scheduled for 7 p.m. on Jan. 15 in the Selectboard's meeting room in Town Hall.

Clancy said the document is subject to change, depending on the public input gathered at that hearing. The final product will go before voters in the municipal election on April 6.

Commissioners have agreed to recommend forming a seven-member council. One councilor would be elected from each of the town's five precincts and two would be elected at large.

Earlier, commissioners had favored having nine councilors, but reduced that number after residents said the council would be too large, Clancy said.

Commissioners would like the mayor to be a member of the School Committee, but not necessarily serve as its chair. That change would expand the school board to six members.

"Making the mayor part of the School Committee is the predominant way communities go to the mayoral form," Clancy said.

The commission also recommended that all terms of office be for two years and that the first election under a charter change take place in November with successive elections held also in November.

Every household in town will be mailed a copy of the commission's final report sometime before the April 6 municipal election, Clancy said.

"S. Hadley parking ban reversed"

>SOUTH HADLEY - The Selectboard Tuesday dropped a recently adopted winter parking ban barring on-street parking when 6 inches or more of snow are forecast in the wake of some residents expressing concerns about not having adequate off-street parking.

In its place, the board voted 5-0 to mandate that there be no on-street residential parking when accumulating snow and ice are forecast on Route 116 and Main, Bridge, Lamb, Bardwell and North Main streets.

The town will continue to call for vehicles to be parked on the even-numbered side of streets on even-numbered dates and on odd-numbered sides of the street on odd-numbered dates when accumulating snow is forecast.

Department of Public Works Superintendent James M. Reidy recommended the change, telling the board residents raised concerns about an outright parking ban.

In response to questions from Selectboard Chairwoman Carlene C. Hamlin, Reidy said there should be adequate parking along Walnut and Elm streets to accommodate residents of Bardwell Street.

Selectman Robert G. Judge questioned if residents of Walnut and Elm streets might not complain the new policy would create parking problems on their streets.

Police Chief David J. LaBrie responded that there is also room for parking for Bardwell Street residents on nearby Gaylord Street.

Selectman Gregory R. Sheehan chastised Reidy as not having done "due diligence" by doing more research before proposing the outright ban that was adopted earlier this month.

The board on Nov. 3 approved an outright ban at the suggestion of Reidy, who had told selectmen an outright ban rather than just an even-odd parking ban would make it easier to remove snow.