Chicopee City Council March 4 recap: In-kind donuts, no tow trucks, and $1 rent edition

 By Jonathan Gerhardson on March 8, 2025.

The Chicopee City Council’s March 4 meeting featured contentious debate over a rejected business permit, procedural approvals of municipal appointments, and regulatory updates amid divided council opinions on economic development versus community impact.

The council narrowly defeated a motion to approve Cruise Control Transportation’s request for a special permit to operate a towing business at 78 West St. Voting 6-3 with two abstentions—insufficient to meet the required nine votes under city rules—the proposal included conditions like 10 parking spaces and fire department compliance.

Councilor Brooks opposed the permit, citing traffic congestion on West Street and unverified resident complaints: “I've seen towing trucks parked on West Street. I've seen disabled vehicles parked on West Street. And for that reason, I will not be supporting this tonight,” said Brooks.

Councilor Tim Wagner expressed his support for the special permit, because he did not believe that the opposition to the towing business was genuine. “We have one person that owned a few apartment buildings in the area show up and that's the extent of the opposition that we've received,” said Wagner.

“This area is depressed. We need businesses paying taxes,” said Councilor Robert Zygarowski, who also voted in favor of the towing business.

During the public input portion of the meeting, Richard Maynard, attorney for Cruise Transportation said that his clients proposed business meets all of the bylaws in place. “It seems like it would be prudent to have a viable and productive use out of a taxed property there. We believe that this is a suitable purpose as it has been for 40 odd years with Mr. Swider's business,” said Maynard.

Truck-based businesses seem to be a contentious subject for the council. In December the council voted to approve permits for a new Pilot travel center on Burnett Road, despite significant public opposition. In doing so, they reversed a decision to block that truck stop from two years earlier, which prompted that business owner to sue the city. In dismissing the suit, a Superior Court Judge called the city's decision to block the truck stop “not arbitrary or capricious.”

The council passed unanimously an order from Mayor John Vieau proposing a $1/year lease for a former Boys and Girls Club site to house a Chicopee Police Department C3 unit substation. The mayor affirmed existing substations would remain open. “The goal is to have as much police presence as possible,” said Vieau.

C3 Policing is “a crime prevention strategy for civilian law enforcement, loosely developed from military counterinsurgency strategies and currently used in the cities of Springfield and Chicopee in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States.”

Chicopee Police Chief Patrick Major highlighted plans to use the space for meetings with Community Health Department clinicians via a new “situation table” initiative led by Sergeant Gass.

It's unclear how the city was able to secure the lease to the building at a price of only $1 per year. The reading of the order referenced an “attached draft lease,” but the city stopped distributing to the press and public the same documents that the members of city council use to inform their decisions after a meeting in January where clerk Keith Rattell harangued the council over a proposal that would have codified the public's access to these records. “There can’t be 13 little mayors—mini mayors—running around telling department heads what to do,” said Rattell in January.

In-kind donations totaling $1,117.98 were accepted for police training sessions held in February with free food provided by 99 Restaurants ($408.75), Wing Stop ($391.42), and Dunkin’ Donuts donated ($217.86). The council additionally approved a $25 donation to the library from Michael Coscore in memory of John E. Dowd. A thank-you letter to library donor Coscore was requested by Councilor George Balakier.

This brings the grand total for donations the city has accepted since the new year to $93,117.60. The majority of donations were made by businesses located in the city.

At a meeting held on the same evening as the U.S. Presidential election last November, the city council voted to increase residential property taxes by an average of $221 per household, with Assessor Laura McCarthy citing a slump in commercial growth as a contributing factor.

The council approved expenditures amounting to $53,548.82 for salaries, sick leave buy-backs, and police/fire department medical bills without discussion or objections.

Ray Hoess-Brooks was appointed to the Cultural Council through March 1, 2028. Andrew Desrochers, and John Paquette Jr. were named to the Planning Board through April 2030; Michael O’Neill was reappointed as Director of Golf until March 2025.

The council unanimously approved sending a letter to state lawmakers urging an investigation into Eversource’s soaring rates. The motion, spearheaded by Councilors Mary Beth Pniak-Costello and Susan Goff, followed concerns about residents facing “astronomical” heating bills. “People worry about how they're going to feed their families,” said Goff.

A special session is scheduled for March 10 at 6:30 p.m. to address “critical orders” excluded from this agenda due to open-meeting law deadlines, coordinated with Council President LaFlamme after procedural delays.