In the News

AGAWAM — After years of trapping motorists and neighborhood residents, the truck-sized rain puddles on Meadow Street have finally met their match: coronavirus relief.

The town is slated to receive $8.55 million in funding from this year’s federal American Rescue Plan Act, and Mayor William Sapelli told the City Council this week that he wants to use all of it to address stormwater-related infrastructure needs in town, starting with the flooding on Meadow Street, and also including failing culverts on North and North Westfield streets.

“They’re public safety issues,” Sapelli said. “These are serious problems that aren’t going to go away.”

At a June 28 council meeting, Sapelli said his top priority is a $3.1 million project to replace 1,800 feet of drain pipe and 7,100 feet of water main on Meadow Street. The drainage improvements would focus on the Regency Court condominium area, where the road is prone to flooding after any substantial rainfall. Public Works Superintendent Mario Mazza said the new water main would replace a 100-year-old pipe originally designed for the country road that Meadow Street was then, not the heavy development there now.

“With the additional buildings and people drawing off it, it really doesn’t have the pressure and the flow that it needs,” Mazza said. “Fire protection, … water quality, water system resiliency all come into play here.”

Other top priorities include a $2.2 million project on North Westfield Street, to permanently fix a failed culvert that received temporary shoring in 2019; a $1.8 million culvert replacement on North Street, just west of Colemore Street; and drainage improvements on Lealand Street and South Park Terrace.

Mazza said the $8.55 million is enough to complete at least three of the projects, and get “most of the way done” with the fourth. He said the town would likely start with Meadow Street and Lealand-South Park this summer, with the two culvert projects getting done in 2022.

Though these four projects represent the highest-priority repairs to the stormwater system, there are more than 50 other capital improvements that need to be addressed soon, said Niles. He suggested that the town spend about $30 million over the next 10 years, which would address all 54 projects, with $5 million left over to pay for additional needs that crop up in that timespan.

The project priority list was based on a report prepared by the engineering firm of Woodard & Curran, which has been working with a volunteer task force for the past few years on stormwater system issues in Agawam. New federal regulations require that towns map, test and repair their storm drains and outfalls, in some cases mandating maintenance of pipes that haven’t been touched for decades.

Many communities have responded to the increased maintenance and capital costs by raising sewer rates or levying a new tax on impervious ground cover, which includes both buildings and paved surfaces. Council President Christopher Johnson said it’s only a matter of time before the town has to raise revenues, but using ARPA money now would at least delay charging a new tax.

“We’ve been kicking the can down the road five, six years now, not implementing a storm drain fee in Agawam,” he said. But “I don’t think there’s a way to avoid a potential future stormwater fee. We’re seeing it in neighboring communities. The big deal is how to structure it.”

Responding to a question from Councilor George Bitzas, Town Solicitor Stephen Buoniconti said the ARPA money is not available for sewer expansion. The particular language of the American Rescue Plan limits spending to repair of existing lines or extensions that address an environmental problem, such as pollution of waterways.

Residents in the sparsely populated southwestern corner of Feeding Hills were promised decades ago that the town’s sewer system would be built out to their streets, but no new lines have been added in more than 20 years. Congress is expected to pass a large infrastructure spending bill this summer, and the Agawam City Council has asked U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, to include sewer funding money. The Feeding Hills sewer extension is expected to cost $48.48 million.

Bitzas also criticized the mayor’s focus on one particular type of spending. He suggested spending half the funds on stormwater infrastructure projects and the other half on streets and sidewalks, or hardship grants to individual residents.

Councilor Dino Mercadante, however, said he agrees that commuters and residents on the affected roads deserve relief.

“These four projects will help a massive amount of people,” he said. “It will take care of a lot of people’s problems in one fell swoop.”

Agawam previously received $2.54 million from the federal CARES Act. That money has already been spent, Sapelli said.