SPRINGFIELD – Discussion centered around the City of Springfield’s use of Community Preservation Committee (CPC) funding during the Springfield City Council meeting on Sept 13.

Before the topic was addressed, the City Council discussed a series of grants offered to the city. The first was the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program Action Grant, which would offer $2,000,000 while requiring a matching contribution from the city. Executive Director of Parks Patrick Sullivan spoke on behalf of the grant, stating that it will provide a more resilient living environment by providing a new forestry operation center. The current building was built back in 1890, according to Sullivan.

“We’re very proud of this grant…it’s very important work as we see what’s happening across the country with climate change,” said Sullivan. He explained that the new center will run on solar power, preventing any delays in response time while also embracing a modern means of energy. The grant was approved by the council in a unanimous vote.

The council then discussed a COVID-19 Case Investigation and Contact Tracing grant for $600,000. Commissioner of the Division of Health and Human Services Helen Caulton-Harris said that the grant will continue the city’s contact tracing efforts while hiring more staff to mitigate COVID-19.

“This grant will help us complete our case investigation as numbers have gone up in the nation and state,” said Caulton-Harris. She also introduced the Health Services for the Homeless Grant, which provides a grant increase of $69,543 to funds providing mental and physical health services to the homeless population. Both grants were approved in a unanimous vote.

The largest grant for discussion was for the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding, which would distribute an additional $29,836,165 of the county’s ARPA funds. Council members Orlando Ramos and Kateri B. Walsh expressed concern that ARPA spending has been occurring without consulting the council. “So far it hasn’t been a good start, moving forward I hope it is corrected. It doesn’t seem to be a very inclusive process,” said Ramos.

The ARPA grant presenter TJ Plant explained that the only unconsented spending occurred due to the pressing urgency of buying locations as they were on the market. He shared that he has set up Attorney Tom Moore as a source for council members to discuss any items they wish to include in ARPA’s plans, as well as inviting council members to ARPA meetings.

One of the critical issues Plant noted for ARPA funding was maintenance on Springfield’s campanile, which would also require the addition of state and local funding to fully upgrade. The grant was approved in a unanimous vote, with the council also approving a $6,275,387 bond – including $1,800,000 million in city funding –  by ARPA to improve windows and doors at The Springfield High School of Science and Technology.

The Springfield City Council then discussed a series of CPC recommendations for funding. Chair of the CPC Robert McCarroll shared the process of making recommendations for the council, stating that the CPC received 27 applications in April totaling $5 million in required funds. Considering the CPC possessed only half of that desired sum, McCarroll said the committee had to work diligently to conclude on their final recommendations.

After approving $250,000 of funding for landscaping at Cottage Hill Grove, the City Council discussed a $500,000 request toward the Rainville & New Court Terrace Apartments. The CPC contribution would be a part of a $14,953,839 cost to rehabilitate the four historic apartment buildings for 89 units of community housing. The applicant Wayfinders Incorporated, which was represented by James Linfield, stressed that a local contribution was important in creating the project.

The council expressed some concerns about the proposition. Council member Malo L. Brown questioned the need of CPC funding for Wayfinders, while Ramos expressed concerns about the project meeting the Responsible Employer Ordinance Monitoring Committee (REOMC), which enforces contractors to keep a monthly compliance log and provide any related documentation.

“There’s misconceptions that a diverse workforce is enough…those folks might be put to work, but they might be victims [of poor conditions],” said Ramos. He ultimately motioned to send the item to REOMC for further discussion. The council voted in unanimous agreement with Ramos’ motion.

Following the motion, the council approved CPC funding of $250,000 for renovations of the Blunt Park Tennis Courts. However, the council shared some disagreement about the next CPC item - $250,000 toward historic renovations to 2612 Main St. Council member Jesse Lederman felt the project needed to go through REOMC to stay consistent with the group’s decisions.

On the other hand, Walsh warned the council of enforcing too many restrictions to the point of appearing “anti-business.” The project’s representative Jacob Hannoush stressed the urgency of making a prompt decision due to the area’s deteriorating space. The council ultimately voted to send the project to the REOMC.

Over the duration of the meeting, the City Council approved CPC funding for the Kilroy House exterior renovations, creation of a remembrance garden at the Stone Soul Memorial Garden, renovations for the Forest Park picnic grove and a three-year plan for renovations at Magazine Park. The council also approved funding for an outdoor community space at the East Springfield Library.

The Springfield City Council will meet again on Oct. 4, where CPC items will be continued for discussion.