Latest news with #GerenaSchool
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Land shortage prompts Springfield to propose property swap for new school
SPRINGFIELD — Faced with a shortage of available land in the North End, the city is taking a unique approach to find property for a new German Gerena Community School. The city is searching for a five-acre parcel, preferably located within a mile of the existing school on Birnie Avenue. Touring the neighborhood and using a drone has netted no results so far, said Peter Garvey, director of capital asset construction for the city. So, the city will seek landowners in the dense neighborhood interested in swapping their land for the five acres where Gerena School currently stands. It will also consider bids for someone interested in purchasing the school for fair market value and reusing or redeveloping the old school. 'It is a unique way to generate some excitement … to get some property to build a new school,' Garvey said. The current Gerena School building, built in the 1970s, suffers from leaks, flooding and mold. The land swap will be the preferable bid because it will solve two problems: giving the city a place for the new school and reusing the property where the school sits, said School Committee Member Joesiah Gonzalez. With multiple medical facilities located near Gerena School, Gonzalez said he is hoping the request for proposals will catch the eye of one of those businesses. The Massachusetts School Building Authority agreed to begin the process that will give the city 80% of the money to replace the school. The city's school department is in the process of completing a feasibility study on the plan, which is being funded with a $2.5 million bond approved by the City Council in 2024. 'Is there really five acres in the North End of undeveloped land?' asked Peter Murphy, a School Committee member. 'Outside eminent domain, I don't see how we get five acres.' Legally, the best way to begin the search for land is to request proposals for a land swap. If there are no viable responses, then the city can consider alternative routes, said City Solicitor Stephen Buoniconti. The proposal will have an aggressive timeline, with the requests for proposals going out around July 3, visits to the school planned for mid-July and proposals due in early August. If all goes well, the award would be made in mid-August, he said. Any agreement would not release the Gerena property until construction of the new school is completed, which is now to be in 2030, Buoniconti said. 'Springfield is land poor, and I gave my word to the community, we want to keep that school in the North End. We have limited resources, so we are trying to be as creative as ever,' said Mayor Domenic Sarno, School Committee chairman. The quicker a property can be found, the easier it will be to meet the plan of opening a new school in 2030, Garvey said. 'If we have to go out and find land, that is just moving that goal post back, and that's not what we want,' Garvey said. 'Every time that goal post is moved back, then it costs more.' The property up for swap is the five acres with the school on it. Additional land including two adjacent parcels with tunnels that go under Interstate 91 and the railroad tracks and the sports complex near Chestnut Middle School are not being considered in the swap proposal, Garvey said. Business Monday ETC: June 23, 2025 People in Business: June 23, 2025 Holyoke residents worry volleyball complex could devastate local forest 'What do businesses hate?': Mass. employers navigating uncertainty and fear Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Repair of Springfield's Gerena School tunnel moves forward after delay
SPRINGFIELD — The long-delayed plans to repair the problematic German Gerena Tunnel are moving forward, but questions are now being asked about how the city's plans to replace the elementary school will impact the project. The state Department of Transportation unveiled the preliminary plans for the tunnel repair, which are 25% complete, in a public meeting in April, but did not discuss the proposal for the school. The state agreed to fix the tunnel at least six years ago, but the project has been delayed for years, in part because of the pandemic. The estimated cost for the repairs now is about $4.2 million. 'Ongoing water infiltration … in tunnel below the school has led to deterioration,' Ashley Bomely, design consultant for Alfred Benesch & Co. which is drafting the plans, said in the April meeting. The school tunnel allows students and community members to walk from Main Street to Plainfield Street under Birnie Avenue, allowing them to cross under the railroad tracks and bypass Interstate 91. It has been plagued with leaks and flooding for more than two decades. The water has led to mold and made several rooms designated for after-school programs unusable. The plans call for repairs to be made to deteriorated areas and a concrete 'topping slab' to be placed over the beams of the tunnel to prevent leaking. Groundwater pumps and waterproofing will also be added, Bomely said. Included in the project are plans to make Bernie Road safer and address speeding issues in front of the school. The plan calls for the road to be narrowed to leave space for a bus queuing area and a shared bike and walking area separated from the street. A speed table will also be added in front of the school, she said. Construction is expected to take two seasons with crews first excavating one side of the tunnel and closing one lane for at least part of the time. They will switch and work on the other side for the second season. Officials have not announced the timeline of when it will start. Meanwhile, the plans to replace Gerena School are adding another element to the project. Like the tunnel, the school has also been plagued with flooding problems, leaks and mold, and it also has open classrooms. The project has been a priority for the School Committee for several years. The school replacement is in the preliminary stages. The Massachusetts School Building Authority first gave its approvals in December 2023, agreeing to reimburse the city about 80% of all eligible costs. About six months ago, the City Council voted to spend $2.5 million to do a study to decide the steps going forward to replace the building. But City Councilors and School Committee members have agreed the existing location is an unlikely spot for a new Gerena School because of the high water table in that location. Springfield Department of Public Works Director Christopher Cignoli said he is a little bit in limbo on the tunnel project until he can find more information about the future of the school. John Goggins, spokesman for the Department of Transportation, agreed saying they also need more information before about the school project. ADL report says antisemitism in Western Mass. included vandalism, slurs Chicopee crash leaves victim seriously injured Upcoming Election for Forbes Library Board of Trustees Will the long-closed Victory Theater in Holyoke ever re-open? Read the original article on MassLive. Read the original article on MassLive.
