Minutes from March 4, 2001 Meeting

Meeting was held at the home of Ginny White, 511 Trafton Road.

In attendance were the following: Bob Triggs, Maureen Posner, Jeremy Cole, Pat Triggs, Shelia McElwaine, Don Evans, Russ Seelig, Ginny White, Eileen Foley Allen Leo and Sandra Collins.

Meeting was called to order at 7:10pm.

Motion made for the suspension of rules. Second. Vote: all in favor.

Guest speakers from Station #10 representing the local 648 Union for the Firefighters were present. They are beginning a community outreach program to address neighborhood associations. They discussed the concerns regarding combining fire houses. It is better to have separate stations and not to combine stations. Combining stations can force trucks to travel throughout the City making their response time shorter if they are across town. There are 12 engine companies, 6 ladders companies and 1 rescue company operating in Springfield; however, currently only 10 engine companies are fully functioning. Fire fighters have to respond to all medical 911 calls made. Their response time is usually 4 minutes, often they arrive prior to the ambulance truck. In the City now, 1-3 engine companies are not staffed. The Mayor is making an effort to increase the fire fighting force up by 60-80 people. There are 360 active fire fighters now in Springfield. There are approximately 10,000-12,000 ER medical runs a year. The fire fighters invited anyone from the FPCA to tour the facility at any time.

Minutes: A motion was made to approve and accept the minutes. Second. Vote: all in favor.

Treasurer’s report: A motion to accept the report. Second. Voted: all in favor.

Committee Reports:

Community Improvement: No report provided.
Education: It was unanimous that the forum held in February on the Forest Park Middle School was a success. Many thanks to Allen Agnitti for his hard work. Public interviews will be set for the superintendent position within the coming weeks. Everyone is encouraged to attend. Pat Triggs located two publications from the Historic Trust regarding the reuse and use of historic school buildings. She ordered copies to be sent to the City Council, School Committee, Mayor’s office, and the School Department.
Historic: The house on Randolph Street was approved their request for an aluminum roof.
Parks: There will be a student from UMASS studying the problems with the growing deer population in Forest Park.
Program/Publicity: Discussion was had regarding the board meetings schedule for meeting on the Forum dates. The Forum schedule will remain the same for this year.
Public Safety: Ginny White gave statistics from the Beat Management Team meeting on B&Es, SMVs, etc. There was a stolen car ring operation on Orange Street that was busted. There was also a major drug raid at 119 Revere Street. The major factor in these two operations were the neighbors calling the police to report activity and concerns. It is important for people to be in contact with the Police Department if there is questionable activity at a particular location. The Community Police number for Sector H is 787-2909. Pat Triggs mentioned an on-going problem of people parking on their front lawn. This is a violation. She will attend the next Beat Management Team meeting to address this concern.
X Task Force: Food Mart will begin their shuttle service in the community. Food mart has flyers in several languages explaining the service.
Zoning: There has been a request from a woman currently renting a two family home next door to Touch of Garlic for a special permit. She would like to begin a dog training business. While she does not need a kennel license, that type of license is the only one in which this type of business would fall under. She is scheduled for the City Council meeting on March 26, 2001. After a discussion a motion was made to be against the special permit. Motion was seconded, voted, all in favor. The Planning Board unanimously voted against the request for a package store at the old Salvation Army building on Orange Street. They owners have appealed. A hearing date is set for March 14, 2001.
Concerned Citizens-Russ Seelig reported that the work continues on the home on Forest Park Avenue. The interior was gutted and deleaded. The columns for the exterior have been done and the capitals are on order. Students from Putnam HS will begin working in a few weeks. A home on 60 Farifield Avenue was purchased by CC at a auction. It is a single family home. The Planning Department received notice from the Department of Transportation regarding a plan by the PVTA for express bus services from the outer belt down Sumner Avenue to down town. They are seeking support from the FPCA.

Old Business:

Bike trail-Shelia McElwaine reported on a meeting that was held on February 22, 2001 which she attended. The meeting was for the working group and discussions that occurred were very good ones, eyes were opened, questions were answered and some solutions were developed. The next meeting will be in May.

Library update- A tour of the Forest Park Library occurred on March 2, 2001. State rep Cheryl Rivera was present as well as Channel 22 and the Union News. State Rep Rivera appeared appalled at the conditions of the building. The tour went very well and the news coverage was great. There will be a march held on March 11, 2001 from the Library to Mayor Albano’s home to carry the signed petitions regarding increased library hours. The Pioneer Valley Project is also in the process of developing a petition for the a ballot vote in November to the City Council not to give additional money to the SLMA unless the hours are increased. Shelia distributed a handout on the SLMA.

New Business:

The Forest Park Partnership-There will be a meeting held on March 5, 2001 with Western Mass Electric to discuss the options on the lighting for the neighborhood. Approximately 600 lights will be needed for the proposed area. The “X” Main Street group is working with the 4 State Reps and the State Senator to obtain the lighting. Concerned Citizens made a donation of $8,000.00 to the project. The Bing has been discussed by the Partnership and possibilities are being discussed.

The meeting adjourned at approximately 9:15 pm.