Purchase of blighted building near Union Street School supported

Boy Scout Troop 252 was working on a communications merit badge, Scout leader Bruce Czwakiel said.

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Purchase of blighted building near Union Street School supported By SUSAN SMALLHEER Staff Writer | November 08,2016 Email Article Print Article Boy Scout Troop 252 was working on a communications merit badge, Scout leader Bruce Czwakiel said. The khaki-shirted kids were busy taking notes as Springfield School Board Chairman Ed Caron explained why the school district wanted to buy the dilapidated two-story apartment house at 47 Union Street and tear it down to make green space. Caron said getting rid of the building would improve traffic flow, safety and aesthetics. He said the police department had responded to the building 43 times between 2015 and now. The proposal to spend $45,000 for the building appears to have widespread support — there wasn’t a single negative question or comment about the plan at any of the meetings the School Board has called this fall. The money to buy the apartment house wouldn’t raise taxes as the School Board plans to use money it realized from the sale of East School to pay for the building The price is right, too — it’s about half of what the School Board proposed spending to buy the same building in 2013. Select Board member George McNaughton, who is a nonvoting member of the School Board, said he fully supported the purchase of the building as part of the town’s overall strategy of improving the Union and Park street neighborhoods. McNaughton said people look at three things when they consider moving to a town — the downtown, the place they work and the schools in the town. “I really, really, really urge you to support this article. It won’t solve all the problems on Union Street,” but it’s an important step, McNaughton said. Union Street School, which is one of the town’s two elementary schools and houses grades 3 through 5, needs a boost on aesthetics and safety. Springfield in recent years spent millions of dollars renovating the town’s two elementary schools, Union and Elm Hill, according to School Board member Mike Griffin. Passersby on Union Street can barely see the school, said Principal Nancy Wiese, who observed that the police and fire departments wanted a clear ‘line of sight’ of the school. The apartment building and large pine trees stand in the way, she said. Caron said the School Board had received a range of estimates of what it would take to tear down the building and cut down the large trees on the property. Those estimates ranged from $22,000 to $36,000. Caron said the area would be landscaped and not turned into a parking lot because there is only enough space for a few cars. Because the cost of demolishing the building is likely to exceed $15,000, the project will have to be put out to bid said School Board members Laura Ryan and Jeanice Garfield after the meeting. There is no current timetable for demolition, assuming voters approve the project. Czwakiel said his Boy Scouts, who ranged in age from 11 to 16, had to listen carefully and list the pros and cons of the project. After the special meeting adjourned, the Boy Scouts headed to the high school library to work on their reports.