GREENFIELD — A total of 29 capital budget requests for fiscal year 2023 were considered by City Council Wednesday in a meeting that didn’t adjourn until after midnight.
A request to fund an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) architectural study of City Hall and a request to fund the milling and overlay paving of the Legion Avenue parking lot were among the only requests not to pass on Wednesday. The majority of the discussion, however, pertained to the $1.85 million request for Police Station upgrades, for which City Council — after a long discussion and several failed amendments — ultimately passed a reduced appropriation of $906,000.
The meeting, which lasted roughly six hours, was the council’s first in-person meeting at the John Zon Community Center on Pleasant Street in about two years.
In a discussion that echoed one from a Ways and Means Committee meeting earlier this month, councilors were divided on a request to appropriate $25,000 for an ADA architectural study of City Hall.
“If memory serves me, we had a study done on all city-wide buildings to comply with ADA,” said City Council Vice President Daniel Guin, referencing a study done three years ago. “I’m wondering why we find it necessary to have a second one done at a cost of $25,000.”
Guin asked whether the city had implemented what was recommended in the first ADA report on City Hall.
Mayor Roxann Wedegartner explained the study of all city buildings was a survey to determine what the accessibility issues were for each building.
“It gave us a good list to begin to work off of,” Wedegartner said. “To determine the actual costs and the potential issues, if there are any, and design, that requires an architect.”
At-Large Councilor Christine Forgey, however, was not in favor of spending the money on the study.
“I suggest we find another way to get this done,” she said. “I’m not borrowing the funds. I don’t want to borrow any more money for something that might be able to be caught in another way, through other funding.”
But Precinct 1 Councilor Ed Jarvis disagreed.
“This is going to come with an architectural firm doing a study and giving a stamp of approval,” Jarvis said. “This is going to come from an architectural firm that knows what they’re talking about. $25,000 is small change. I think it will be money well-spent. It lets us know what we’re going to be faced with down the road.”
Responding to Jarvis, Precinct 7 Councilor Jasper Lapienski said while $25,000 may be “small change” to Jarvis, “it’s a lot for the rest of us.”
Ultimately, the motion to approve the appropriation failed, with only Jarvis voting in support.
Another item that generated a lengthy discussion was a request to appropriate $60,000 for the milling and overlay paving of the Legion Avenue parking lot.
Forgey, who explained that the request received a unanimous recommendation from the Ways and Means Committee, said the lot — located at Patriot Care — partly belongs to the city and partly to a private business owner. She had questions, however, about the lease agreement, which spoke to the maintenance expectations of the property.
“There was a (verbal) agreement, at one point, made by the previous administration, to make good on the fact we have been profiting off it for a long time,” explained Chief of Staff Dani Letourneau.
At-Large Councilor Michael Terounzo said while he understands the apprehension of spending money on something the city won’t be using going forward, given the lease expires at the end of the year, he compared it to getting to “live rent-free in a house and even sell goods out of this house,” and then leaving the residence trashed before moving out.
“I don’t really think that’s a good image for the city,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to do business with the city if they were going to … trash my property.”
Department of Public Works Director Marlo Warner II said the pavement is in very poor condition, and the DPW is regularly patching potholes, per the lease agreements going back as many as 20 years.
“We found a layer underneath that wasn’t as bad, so we thought a mill and overlay would repair this responsibly for long-term use,” he said.
The discussion ended with seven councilors voting in support of the appropriation and three against, with Forgey abstaining. To pass, the vote required a two-thirds majority, or nine votes.
As for the $275,000 appropriation for the Main Street reconstruction project, Lapienski motioned to reduce the amount by $175,000, eliminating the need to borrow. Precinct 3 Councilor Virginia “Ginny” DeSorgher agreed.
Although the motion failed, it prompted a discussion between councilors about the practice of borrowing. City Council President Sheila Gilmour, however, cautioned against comparing municipal and household finances, as far as debt is concerned. Others felt such an amendment would demonstrate “micromanagement” of both the mayor and city department heads.
The $275,000 appropriation ultimately passed by a majority vote, with DeSorgher and Lapienski voting “no.”
Lapienski also objected to a $100,000 request to buy new computers for the schools, arguing that students shouldn’t be spending their entire school day looking at screens.
“It’s the worst possible decision we could make,” said Lapienski, the sole dissenting vote.
Reporter Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne