LONGMEADOW – State Rep. Brian Ashe spoke to the Longmeadow Select Board at its Jan. 19 meeting and answered questions. Ashe was asked about the crumbling foundations issue. He explained, for those not familiar with the situation, that many local houses were built with materials from a quarry in Connecticut that contained a mineral that can make concrete structurally weak when it becomes moist. He said that it could begin crumbling 20 to 30 years after the house is built.

“There really is no remedy for it,” said Ashe, who co-chairs the Crumbling Foundations Commission with state Rep. Anne Gobi. He noted that it is not covered under home insurance plans.

He said that there is legislation being filed that would make insurance companies cover the issue and help residents with information on how to get inspections. Ashe said that while the issue was put on the back burner due to COVID, it will be on the agenda for 2021.

Fire Chief John Dearborn asked Ashe for help getting support for vaccine distribution in Western Massachusetts. Ashe responded that the legislature has been putting pressure on Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration to provide vaccine infrastructure and support, especially to the western half of the state. Ashe said Massachusetts is second to last in vaccine distribution nationwide.

COVID-19 Update

Dearborn told the board that Longmeadow currently has 51 active cases, with just over 5 percent positive test rate.

Phase 1 of the vaccine rollout is nearly complete. Dearborn said that the eldercare facilities in town have received their vaccinations and first responders received their shots in a multi-town clinic.

Phase 2 of the vaccine rollout begins Feb. 1 and will begin with those 75 years or older, followed by those 65 or older and those with two or more comorbidities – health issues that put people in greater danger of complications from COVID-19. After that, Phase 2 makes certain essential workers eligible, followed by individuals with one co-morbid condition. Details can be found at https://www.mass.gov/covid-19-vaccine.

The town has hired Karl Zinnack, formerly of the Longmeadow Fire Department, to be the vaccine coordinator. Zinnack has worked with the Department of Public Health during the H1N1 outbreak and post-anthrax. A vaccine clinic is being set up in the former daycare center portion of the Greenwood Center. Dearborn said that supplies, personal protective equipment (PPE), and storage have all been ordered.

When the vaccine is ready to be distributed, a robocall will go out and residents can sign up on the town's website to schedule an appointment for inoculation.

 Longmeadow is using the Moderna vaccine and people will have to receive their second dose 28 days after the first shot is administered. A reminder will be sent out to register for the booster shot. A service will be offered in which people can call to be registered if they do not have access to the internet or are not tech-savvy. Those individuals will not receive a reminder to register for the second dose as it is done through email.

Dearborn said that volunteers for the clinic are needed, from medical staff to civilians providing support. He said volunteers will receive training and be inoculated before the 16-week clinic.

Select Board member Mark Gold asked about the number of first responders who chose to be vaccinated. Dearborn said that 25 of his 26 personnel were inoculated, though he acknowledged that the rate was different in other areas of the state.

“About 90 percent is out of our control. There's a lot of good people working on this, but every day they’re facing new and unique challenges with this,” Dearborn said. He added that the biggest challenge is predicting how much vaccine will be sent from the state weekly.
2020 Audit

Tanya Campbell, a CPA with the firm Melanson, delivered a presentation on the town’s 2020 audit. The purpose of the audit, she explained, is to express an opinion on the town's financial statements judging by the Government Auditing Standards.

Overall, Longmeadow is in good financial shape, she found. Going over the town’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, she said towns should aim to keep their stabilization accounts at about 10 percent of their budget. Longmeadow’s account is at 7.7 percent, or $4,195,621. Likewise, the General Fund Unreserved balance is at 7.3 percent or $3,989,250, which Campbell called, “very healthy.” The certified free cash sits at 3.6 percent of the operating budget. Ideally, this figure should be between 3 and 5 percent, Campbell said.

As for the town’s liabilities, Campbell said that the monetary value of Longmeadow’s portion of the Hampden County Retirement System has decreased by $300,000 and the cost of retirement health insurance has decreased by $10.3 million.

Audit Committee Member Peter Landon pointed out some potentially worrying trends for the town’s finances. He said the town’s debt was $8 million in 2010 and is now in the high $70 million range. He also noted that the state wants unfunded liability, currently $46 million for Longmeadow, to be at zero by 2036. Finally, he noted that local aid for schools is roughly equal to what it was in 2010, though the school budget has dramatically increased.

Adult Center?Signs

Mary Beth Bergeron presented the board with signage designed for the nearly-completed Longmeadow Adult Center. S. Presley Blake, one of the founders of Friendly’s Restaurant company, and his wife, Helen Blake, donated $200,000 and Bergeron asked for approval to name the gymnasium in their honor.

Gold felt strongly about the design of the sign for the arched entrance to the facility.  

“When I looked at the signs, honest to goodness, I said, ‘that’s the sign that sits over the entrance to Auschwitz.’ It’s appalling to me. It’s actually offensive.” He clarified that he was referring to the curved lettering in the design. Bergeron said she understood his comments and the implications and would bring it back to the designer.

Selectman Richard Foster agreed with Gold’s interpretation. He also said that he couldn’t support a name on the outside of the building as it wasn't mentioned when put before the town. He called it “inappropriate” for the “highest bidder” to have their name on the building.

Select Board Chair Thomas Lachiusa noted that Blake Field is named for S. Prestley Blake, so there is a precedent. Bergeron also stated that ball fields in town are named after people. She made a separate point that signage on the exterior is important to help people find their way.

Gold said that he supported naming the gymnasium after Blake, but was frustrated that the agreed-upon policy of signifying donor’s names on a plaque was now being eschewed for signs on the exterior.

Select Board Vice Chair Marc Strange read out the policy, which allows for the naming of a room or area to be marked by a plaque or brick, but the naming of the entire building and basketball court is at the discretion of the Select Board.

Select Board Clerk Steven Marantz supported a road sign to help people find the facility. "The planning board said it's okay. I don’t see why we shouldn't say it’s okay.”

The board voted 3:2 to accept the proposed road sign, with Gold and Foster voting against it.

Biomass Resolution

The board considered a resolution opposing subsidies for biomass-incinerating power plants. Two residents spoke in favor of the resolution during the resident comment period of the meeting.

“If a plant is built in Springfield it would affect our community's air quality,” said Cynthia Sommer. “I urge you to recognize this as a serious health problem in our area.”

Frank Smith said his stepson and wife were severe asthmatics, so he is concerned about air quality. He noted that the reports from the state show that burning wood in a biomass incinerator produces twice the carbon dioxide as coal.

Marantz called it a “simple, obvious” resolution. He said Baker wants to reclassify burning wood as non-carbon emitting and renewable. “Apparently up is down and black is white in the Baker Administration,” Marantz commented.

Gold objected to the fourth paragraph in the resolution which laid out what pollutants the incinerated wood would produce. He stated that, while it is possible those pollutants could be introduced into the air from such a plant, no one has seen the pollution controls of the proposed facility and can’t say whether the harm would be mitigated.

Marantz argued that the provided documentation from the Conservation Law Foundation supports the statement in the resolution. Foster said he didn't have enough information to support or deny the resolution.

Marantz pushed back that the taxpayers do not want their money supporting subsidies for polluting energy sources.

Strange suggested simply eliminating the paragraph to which Gold was opposed. For his part, he said, “particulates thrown into the air in Springfield are going to affect our air quality in Longmeadow.”

A vote was taken on whether to approve the resolution without the fourth paragraph. With three votes in favor and two abstentions, the resolution passed.

The document, which Marantz wrote using a similar resolution from Springfield, will be delivered to Ashe, Baker, state Sen. Eric Lesser and the commissioner of the Department of Energy Resources.

Lachiusa made a statement to the board regarding the political unrest in the country. He said that he sees strife similar to a married couple who each thinks the other one is the problem. He said both sides need to change. “The biggest opponent here is trying to eliminate my violence between people who have a legitimate belief that they can use violence, whether they are in a uniform or protesting against the government. The sooner we can eliminate violence, the better we can move forward,” Lachiusa said.