Agawam's municipal meetings return to in-person format July 1

May 28, 2021 | Noelia Ortiz
nortiz@thereminder.com

AGAWAM – After Gov. Charlie Baker’s announcement regarding lifting the state’s mask mandate on May 29 and state of emergency expiring June 15, Mayor William Sapelli confirmed that all Agawam public meetings will be encouraged to return to in person no later than July 1.

Municipal bodies will have 60 days to become compliant. Boards will still need to post meetings with ample notice and there will no longer be any restrictions on the number of people that can attend the in-person meetings.

Sapelli stated that unvaccinated residents are encouraged to continue wearing masks but are not required to do so. All restrictions will be lifted for vaccinated individuals. Vaccination cards will also not be required to attend municipal meetings.

He also stated the last School Committee and City Council meetings on June 21 and 22 will be in person and open to the public like they have had in the past with no restrictions. June 7 and 8 School Committee and City Council meetings will be the last remote meetings.

Meetings will take place at the Senior Center until further notice due to the library undergoing renovations. The center will have ample room and can accommodate reasonable social distance requests by the board or general public.  The Senior Center’s programming will not be impacted by the boards at the moment since they meet after 5 p.m. or later the majority of the time.

The Senior Center is not fully open at the moment but will be open for the public to use the fitness room, pool hall, and for general socialization starting June 1. They will resume in-house dining on June 15 and continue to offer the grab-n-go for those who may not yet be comfortable coming into the building or for better convenience. The Senior Center will continue offering the grab-n-go throughout the rest of the year pending approval of funding through the Older American’s Act.

The staff at the Senior Center stated that regular programming will resume July 1, as their newsletters had gone out prior to the updated news from Baker regarding the end of the executive orders and emergency declaration, they are not able to schedule programs for June.

Some of the pandemic programming will continue to air on public access, like Bingo.

Renovations at the library include replacing the entire roof with new shingle and rubber membrane, new wall paneling system on exterior structures, exterior masonry work, exterior site work, interior millwork, painting, and window and door restorations.

“These renovations will address the water damage issues occurring as well as update the appearance and function of the library. A new building automation system is replacing the existing outdated system and will provide an all-encompassing smart building package with occupant comfort and provide building efficiency,” said Brian Pagella, director of building maintenance.  

Renovations are expected to be completed by the end of the year.

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