Page 11 - BusinessWest January 8, 2024

Robin Wozniak stands in front of the new Starbucks set to open in Agawam.
Staff Photo
RELATIONSHIPS
make all the difference
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with Johnson to bolster the chamber’s role as a liaison between City Hall and the business community, mak- ing sure the wants and
needs of the former are understood by the latter.
“I work closely with the mayors, as well as the state senators and
representatives, to be sure that we’re providing a platform for the small businesses in Agawam, and be that middle person to ensure that the businesses are able to have
their voices heard,” she said.
Agawam
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For this installment of its Com- munity Spotlight series, Business- West turns the lens on Agawam, a community looking to transfer some unresolved issues to the proverbial done pile in the months and years to come.
Room for Improvement
As he talked about the current high school, a facility he attended in the ’70s and knows from many dif- ferent vantage points, Johnson com- pared it to a “beautiful ’55 Chevy that we kept in really good condition.”
In other words, it still purrs, and it’s still somewhat easy on the eyes. But it is simply not suited for these times.
“We’re trying to identify some parcels for some creative housing concepts totrytoseeifwe can get some more affordable-housing opportunities, if
not subsidized affordable-housing opportunities.”
“It’s going to need significant work over the next five to 15 years, and no matter how much work you do to it, it’s not cost-effective to turn it into a new, modern vehicle,” he said, adding that the relatively good condition of the current high school actually hurt the town to some extent because the MSBA put other communities with more pressing needs ahead of Agawam in the competition for school- building funds.
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