Page 13 - BusinessWest December 22, 2021

Community Spotlight
Projects Keep Longmeadow’s Momentum Going
By Mark Morris
While two major construction projects reached completion in 2021, it’s no time to slow down for Longmeadow officials, who are planning several more proj- ects for 2022 and beyond.
In June, Department of Public Works staff moved into their new $24 million facility on Dwight Road. Town Manager Lyn Simmons said the new location provides a cleaner, safer work environment with amenities that save money for the town over time.
“The DPW now has vehicle wash bays to clean dirt and salt off their equipment as well as lifts that are appropriate for the vehicles we have,” Simmons said. “We also have covered storage for everything, which, in New England, is critical for maintaining all this expensive equipment.”
Marybeth Bergeron, who chairs the Perma- nent Town Building Committee, said the DPW facility has come a long way from its old location on Pondside Road. After operating out of a cou- ple buildings constructed in the early 1930s that she described as “incredibly poor condition,” the new location improves efficiency and morale.
“Our new DPW director, Geoff McAlmond, is working to unify all the entities in Public Works, and it’s much easier to do that with all the staff and department heads in one place,” Bergeron
said.
Simmons said the new facility will have a pos-
itive impact on town business beyond the DPW. “Police, fire, and other departments that have town vehicles now have a fueling facility they can use as well.”
In early November, Simmons cut the ribbon for the new Longmeadow Adult Community Center on Maple Road. The $14 million build- ing features plenty of space for seniors looking to take part in exercise, activities, or one of the many other programs available.
Bergeron pointed out that older residents use fewer town resources, such as the school system and even trash pickup, because their households are smaller. At the same time, their numbers are growing as more people retire every day, and they are looking to stay active and social. For all those reasons, she said many communities are invest- ing in their elders.
“People who never set foot in the old center are coming to the new one because it is, quite frankly, gorgeous, and it offers people what they want,” she added.
Thanks to a $250,000 donation from S. Prestley Blake toward the end of his life, the center has something few such facilities have: a dedicated gymnasium at one end of the building,
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COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
DECEMBER 22, 2021 13
Longmeadow
at a glance
Year Incorporated: 1783
Population: 15,853
Area: 9.7 square miles
County: Hampden
Residential Tax Rate: $24.74
Commercial Tax Rate: $24.74
Median Household Income: $109,586
Median Family Income: $115,578
Type of Government: Open Town Meeting; Town Manager; Board of Selectmen
Largest Employers: Bay Path University; JGS Lifecare; Glenmeadow
* Latest information available
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