Longmeadow will host a Special Town Meeting within its Annual Town Meeting

April 28, 2016 | Chris Goudreau
cgoudreau@thereminder.com

LONGMEADOW – The town plans to host a Special Town Meeting during the May 10 Annual Town Meeting for two articles that seek additional funding for construction or renovation projects.

Town Manager Stephen Crane told Reminder Publications hosting a Special Town Meeting at an Annual Town Meeting has been done in the past.

“It is an accepted practice and sometimes a good thing to do … The reason why you do it is the warrant for the Town Meeting needs to be done a month before Town Meeting and a lot of that is administrative timelines in terms of getting it to the printer and making sure it gets to everybody’s house at least two weeks in advance,” he added. “You have to have everything you need for the warrant nailed down really two months ahead of time so the Select Board can consider it.”

Article 1 of the Special Town Meeting warrant calls for residents to vote for the appropriation of $20,880 in Chapter 90 funds for temporary leases for approximately 37 residential properties on Converse Street for easements while sidewalks are being constructed.

Crane said the project is a Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) project, but the town is required to produce right-of-way plans.

“We were made aware in January by MassDOT that we were not on pace in terms of developing the right-of-way plan that we needed to get the project bid in September,” he explained. “It’s $2.7 million project and obviously Converse Street is a significant and important road – it carries a lot of traffic. Part of the reason why we weren’t ready had a lot to do with turn over at the [Department of Public Works]. The new team came in, we made this a top priority and we hired the appraiser and went through all the necessary steps that are required by MassDOT to do the right of way acquisitions.”

He continued, “We did not have the full list of easements that were going to be needed nor did we have the appraisals done in time for the Annual Town Meeting warrant to be prepared, but I had notified the [Select Board] that I was likely going to be requesting a Special Town Meeting within the Annual Town Meeting to address this issue so we don’t lose our bid date of September. We would lose $2.7 million and the opportunity to make needed improvements to Converse Street.”

Crane said a Town Meeting vote is required for the town to temporarily acquire the right-of-way areas along Converse Street.

Article 2 calls for appropriating $105,535 in Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds for the restoration of the Storrs Library steps and handicapped access ramp.

Crane said the project was initially funded by voters during the May 12, 2015 Annual Town Meeting for $139,000, but bids came back “substantially higher” than estimated.  

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