EAST LONGMEADOW – The East Longmeadow Town Council approved the adoption of the Massachusetts Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program during its Aug. 10 meeting.

The discussion on whether to adopt the program had been continued from the council’s last meeting. Frank Canning of MassDevelopment explained that 45 communities in the state have adopted PACE, which he called “a financing alternative for commercial property owners to finance energy improvements to their buildings.” He said it can be used to add solar power, update boilers, furnaces or heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems.

The cost of the improvements would be funded by one of six to eight state-approved third-party lien providers. Payments for the lien would be added to the owner’s property tax.

Councilor Ralph Page asked Canning if the town has to engage in collections with owners who default and Canning assured him that that responsibility lies with the provider.

Councilor Thomas O’Connor speculated that if a property owner could not afford to pay back the PACE portion of the tax bill, they may not pay the bill at all, losing revenue for the town.

“As a fiscal conservative, I am naturally skeptical of any government program that promises to help us do something we can do without the program,” Councilor R. Patrick Henry declared. “We’re assured by Town Manager Mary [McNally] that it does not involve any significant effort or liability for the town. Unfortunately, neither at last month’s meeting or the material for this month’s meeting was there any mention of potential drawbacks or negatives.” He reminded everyone that including pros and cons in documentation is required by the council’s rules.“Essentially, what we’re doing is putting a construction mortgage through our quarterly tax bills.”

Henry continued by saying that PACE pays for energy improvements that the private sector banks won’t. “I know of no bank that won’t lend you money if your project financials make sense,” he said and asked if PACE will approve “risky loans” on projects “just to support the administration’s green goals?”

Canning pushed back on Henry’s assertion and said sometimes banks cannot lend more money, such as when a building’s appraisal doesn’t allow for a higher mortgage, despite the owner’s good credit. This is an example of when the PACE program would be helpful, he said.

He added that PACE doesn’t provide loans to people, but instead, the debt is attached to the property and would transfer to future owners.

The only negative that Canning said he has heard from municipalities is that the PACE agreements add to the assessors’ work, but he stressed that the work consists of a “one-time, fixed-rate payment schedule. McNally added that she had spoken with the Assessor’s Office and it is comfortable with the added paperwork.

The council approved the program adoption 4:2, with Henry and O’Connor dissenting.

Playground

Jonathan Torcia addressed the council on behalf of the Community Preservation Committee to propose a playground for the Pine Knoll Recreation Area with a maximum price tag of $180,000.

Page asked Torcia if the applicant had applied for any grants to cover a portion of this project. “There’s a lot of [grant] money out there available and I have a hard time with $180,000,” Page said. A grant had not been sought, however Torcia said that the project was not expected to use the entire amount. He said the project would start small and expand as grants become available.

“I really do support a playground area like this for our kiddos,” Councilor Marilyn Richards said, but added that she was struggling since the project was not shovel-ready and “I’m sort of hesitant in tying up $180,000 when we don’t even know where it’s going to go.” While the location was not spelled out in the paperwork, Thomas Kaye, a member of the Recreation Commission, later said that the playground is slated to go where a volleyball court currently exists. Torcia told Richards that the applicant and the Recreation Commission are working on making the project “shovel ready.”

Councilor Connor O’Shea wanted to make sure that the playground would be accessible to children with disabilities, something that is mandated in the town’s recently-adopted master plan. Councilor Kathleen Hill was unable to attend the meeting due to internet connectivity issues, but Kane read comments that she had submitted which also questioned the playground’s inclusivity and Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance.

Torcia confirmed that the CPC would be selecting playsets with options for children with disabilities.

Another point made by O’Shea and echoed by other members of the council was the improvement to Pine Knoll. He said that if families are already paying for day camp at Pine Knoll, those funds should support the improvements there.

In addition to campers, Henry added that, since the recreation area is partly in Springfield, the playground will benefit 16 Acres residents. He said he would prefer to fund a playground in a more “central” area of East Longmeadow.

Richards pointed out that Pine Knoll is not open year-round and access largely requires a vehicle. She pointed to the Maple Court as a possible location for a playground that would be more visible and, as such, a deterrent to vandalism.

She also asked about planned improvements to Heritage Park, which were put on hold during the pandemic. Torcia said that the Heritage Park improvements are a long-term plan, but the playground is a localized, contained project.

He answered O’Shea and Henry’s concerns by reminding them that Pine Knoll is open to the public, not just day-campers.

Page told Torcia that construction costs have increased and now might not be the time to build. “I like the idea of a playground, but what other long-term financial obligation would this put on the town,” O’Shea asked, referring to maintenance costs.

Kaye made a last-ditch plea to the councilors. “This not only serves campers, to the tune of 160 campers a week for nine weeks, it also serves the swimmers that are up there all summer. It also serves the T-ballers. It serves the Recreation soccer program for the little ones in the spring and the fall,” Kaye said. He noted most playgrounds are closed in the winter.

Despite this, the council voted unanimously to deny the request.

Cottage Food Bylaw

The council conducted a public hearing on the adoption of a bylaw change to allow cottage food operations. Planning Board Chair Russell Denver explained that a resident wanted to open a small cookie bakery from her home kitchen but there was nothing on the books that covered that type of business. The board crafted the bylaw change based on Wilbraham’s provision for such businesses.

The bylaw uses the state definition of a cottage food industry. It specifies that the business is not a commercial bakery, no customers will be allowed on the premises and a commercial vehicle for the bakery is prohibited. The owners would need to comply with all zoning ordinance requirements and undergo inspection and approval by the Board of Health.

“I think it’s good to make the bylaws flexible for the times,” Planning Board member Jonathan Torcia said, “without significantly changing residential zones.” He said this will have a “minimal impact” on the neighborhood.

Henry commented that he was concerned about unintended consequences, and suggested people baking for girl scout troops or book clubs could run afoul of this bylaw.

O’Connor said that without defined hours of operations, a home bakery might be “emitting a lot of flavors into the air” and become a nuisance. Henry added that a coffee roaster used to be in the four corners section of town “and the surrounding people were beside themselves with the amount of aroma that came out of there.”

Denver reiterated that the bylaw governs “very small micro-businesses.” Richards said that while it is technically a manufacturing business, one person using one oven would be “no different” than what happens in most kitchens.

The bylaw change was continued to the Sept. 14 meeting for a second reading, as the charter requires.

Updates

McNally announced that Michelle Barrett has been hired as the veterans’ service officer for East Longmeadow, Hampden and Wales. Barett will have office hours from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the senior center on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

McNally told the council that the 40-year-old boiler at the Pleasant View Senior Center is failing and will need to be replaced. She said the town has spent nearly $30,000 in repairs to the equipment over the last few years. The replacement was on the Capital Planning project schedule, but McNally said it had been “passed over” and the situation is now “dire.”

At the Town Hall, McNally said, the excessive rainfall from July “severely damaged” some records that the clerk’s office is required to maintain. “We have a space storage shortage issue,” she said, adding that planning documents are stored in “five or six places.” McNally is working with Director of Planning and Community Development Bethany Yeo on a solution.

Crumbling Foundations

During the public comment period, resident Russell Dupere requested the council send a letter to the Massachusetts Senate in support of bill S548, An Act relative to crumbling concrete foundations.

The bill, which is currently in the Joint Committee of Environment, Natural Resources & Agriculture, would create a public insurance company to cover crumbling foundation claims, standardize property tax abatements in these cases and require home sellers to disclose the possibility of a potentially crumbling foundation to buyers.

Crumbling foundations have become a problem across portions of Western Massachusetts and northern Connecticut over the past several years. Unknown to homeowners and builders, the concrete used in these foundations was contaminated with pyrrhotite, a mineral that reacts with oxygen and water over time and weakens the structure of hardened concrete. Richards noted that at least 12 homes in East Longmeadow have crumbling foundations.

Page praised the bill for requiring home sellers to disclose the possible issue, rather than forcing them to conduct the testing prior to selling. The letter was unanimously approved.

On a related note, Dupere announced an Aug. 28 forum at Granite Valley Middle School, 21 Thompson St. in Monson, at which legislators and experts will discuss the crumbling foundations issue, is open to the public and surrounding towns.