Latest news with #MassachusettsStateLaw
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Heated debate over relocating or renovating Anna E. Barry Elementary School in Chicopee
CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – A heated debate Thursday night on whether Chicopee's Anna E. Barry Elementary School should stay in its current location or move to another site. Residents met with the Anna E. Barry School Building Committee to voice their thoughts. Some believe sticking to the original plan of building a new school a few feet behind the current Barry Location, but building officials think otherwise. The future of Anna E. Barry Elementary School in Chicopee is still in question. After the original plan to build the new school just feet behind the current Barry Location ran into issues, the Building Committee is considering another site. They're looking to expand the Szetela Early Childhood School on Macek Drive. But not all residents agree since there are fields and a park behind the school. 'This park is used all year round by kids, families people walking their dogs. It's just wonderful to have a neighborhood park,' said Jennifer Christianson of Chicopee. The building committee explains why they are looking at this as an option. 'We want to avoid redistricting, and we need a good-sized parcel of land in order to build the school. And unfortunately, within this district, there's really not a lot of options available to us,' added Chair of the Anna E. Barry School Building Committee, Carissa Lisee. The project designer and manager will be studying and investigating the site to determine if it is a good fit. There will also be a survey of the property. If this school is selected as the new site, it would combine its preschool students with the Barry School's 340 kindergarten through fifth-grade students. The other possibility is another location off of Robbins Road, but is out of district. But residents believe building the school behind the current Barry location is the best option for the school, despite the challenges with wetland soil and Article 97, which protects parkland area under Massachusetts State Law. 'Barry was built on wetlands before, and if it was built on what lands before, it can be done again, and they're grandfathered in. There's already a school there. They need to redistrict some of the kids. Maybe for a year and build on that property again,' said Christianson. The building committee says it will come down to cost as to what project they move forward with. The committee hopes to present several preliminary design options by June. Chicopee is working in partnership with the Massachusetts School Building Authority on this project. The Massachusetts School Building Authority will be providing funding to support the final design. Information meetings will continue to be held on the second Thursday of every month. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Anna E. Barry School may be forced to relocate due to site issues
CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – Renovation plans for the Anna E. Barry School in Chicopee may force the school to relocate after a survey of the building site. The original plan to build the new school just feet behind the current Barry location has been met with two problems: soil and Article 97. Tapestry Health and Craig's Doors receive $150K grant to expand harm reduction services A recent study of Garrity Grove found that the wetland soil would impact the structural integrity of the new building. The other problem with this site is Article 97, which protects the parkland area under Massachusetts State Law. 22News spoke with Chicopee Mayor John Vieau about what options the city is considering. 'There were some real obstacles in trying to use this site,' Vieau said. 'It's not been completely determined that we're moving to other options. We're looking at potentially relocating to Szetela School, as that site has a lot of extra land behind the building, and also looking at another location off of Robbins Road.'The Szetela Early Childhood School on Macek Drive could provide an alternative that wouldn't require redistricting. The Barry School Building Commission is currently assessing the viability of Szetela and they don't expect any delays. Information meetings regarding this potential relocation are held at Chicopee City Hall on the second Thursday of every month. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
