Page 44 - BusinessWest July 25, 2022

Picknelly properties
wisdom of investing what could be hundreds of mil- lions of dollars in a building that has reportedly been linked to serious illness and death.
“We think cleaning it is great, but ultimately, a new courthouse is needed in Springfield,” said Picknelly, adding that there are several options moving forward for the project and this parcel, with the best, in his view, being the property developed by OPAL and then leased by the state.
“It would be much faster if that was the chosen route,” he told BusinessWest. “Just the procurement process for securing the land would take two years; we can have shovels in the ground quickly. Ultimate- ly, we believe the project can be done, start to finish, in four years.
“Right now, they’re talking about cleaning the building and renovating the current building — that will take seven years and probably cost $200 million when you factor in the cleaning of the facility and what they would have to do to move to the courts to a temporary facility for several years. That’s 70% of building new, and even if you do clean it, people are going to be very reluctant to go into it.”
Picknelly noted an additional benefit to building new is that Springfield gains an additional develop- ment site — the current courthouse location, in the heart of downtown and across State Street from the
MGM casino complex.
If the courthouse moves to the riverfront, you then
have that property to be developed for some other activity,” he said. “There are all sorts of opportunities; it’s great land that could be developed for other pub- lic purposes.”
When asked to give a timeline for the courthouse project, Picknelly said there are many factors that will play into if it happens and when it happens, from whether the current administration wants to address this problem or pass it on the next one, to how quick- ly DCAM can study and then weigh the costs and benefits of building new versus renovating what cur- rently exists.
But he expects something — he’s not sure what — to happen within the next year, because of the sever- ity of the health concerns in the current courthouse and the need to find a solution.
Much of his development activity over the past few decades falls into that category of ‘finding solu- tions,’ and this would certainly be another legacy project for the portfolio.
It is a developing story — figuratively, but also quite literally. u
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that stood
where the Hall is now. “Now, you have restaurants and vibrancy
... the courthouse can do the same for the north side of the riverfront.”
It could potentially do even more, he went on, because on the south side of the bridge operating railroad tracks stand between the Hall of Fame and other businesses and the river itself. That problem doesn’t exist on the north side.
“Your development is literally right on the water,” he noted. “Nowhere else in Springfield’s downtown can you have that.”
While the proposed site — and the project envi- sioned for it — makes sense on many levels, said Picknelly, a number of pieces need to fall into place, especially at the state level.
Courting Opportunity
At present, the state and its Division of Capital Asset Management (DCAM) is still weighing whether to renovate the existing courthouse or move into a new one; a deep cleaning of the facility is currently underway.
Sarno and Picknelly have both questioned the
George O’Brien can be reached at [email protected]
long distances for entertainment.
Bottom Line
Reflecting on why this city still calls itself a town, Reichelt recalled that the vote to change the charter and convert from town government to city govern- ment was close — as in very close.
“They decided when they wrote the town charter to maintain the ‘town’ name to maintain that town feel,” he said, adding that many people have approached him and said ‘Will, it doesn’t feel like a town anymore.’
Such sentiments lead him to believe that maybe, just maybe, by the time West Springfield turns 250, it will not only operate a city government, but call itself a city.
If so, that will be only one of many potentially significant changes that will take place between now and then in a community where there is always movement and the landscape is, well, a work in progress. u
George O’Brien can be reached at [email protected]
West Side
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he expects West Side to be an attractive mailing address for such companies.
Indeed, Reichelt said he no lon-
ger uses the phrase ‘crossroads of the region’ to describe his community, pre- ferring ‘retail capital of Western Mass.,’ a nod to the many regional and nation- al retail heavyweights — from Costco to Dick’s Sporting Goods to Home Depot — that have located stores in the community.
The traffic that drew those major retailers should also attract cannabis businesses and especially dispensaries, he added.
Reichelt noted that he believes that there is sufficient momentum to get the measure passed, and there may be more with the recent 3% increase in property taxes, the town’s first in sev- eral years. Indeed, he said the tax rev- enue generated from cannabis-related businesses and its potential to help prevent another such increase in rates may help incentivize the council.
“It’s four years later, and the land- scape has really changed,” he said.
DE&I
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“You hear a lot of the same legaliza- tion arguments that you heard back in 2016, but that argument was settled in 2016 — it’s legal in Massachusetts now. To think that it’s not in town is
... not based in reality. There are signs on Riverdale and Westfield Street and Memorial Avenue pointing to the dif- ferent places you can buy marijuana outside of town; look at the tax money that’s leaving here.”
While the July 18 date was one to circle, there’s another key date fast approaching — Sept. 16. That’s the kickoff to the Big E, which will take another big step this year to returning to normal — as in 2019 conditions.
The fair was canceled in 2020, and while it was staged in 2021, it did not have a full lineup of entertainment, said Eugene Cassidy, president and CEO of the Big E, adding that, for 2022, it will be all systems go.
Much of the entertainment has already been announced, he said, not- ing that Lynyrd Skynrd will close the fair this year. Meanwhile, there will
be a number of new attractions and
events — including an opportunity for fair attendees to communicate with those at the International Space Sta- tion — and even food items, including noodles, vegan offerings, and full-sized donuts.
Cassidy said advanced ticket sales are running well ahead of the pace for last year, which was a near-record year for the fair, and other strong years. “People don’t even know what what the fair is going to offer, but they’re already supporting it by buying tickets, some- times nine months in advance of the event,” he told BusinessWest. “And that provides a great deal of emotional sup- port for those of us who run the place because we know that our patrons care about the organization.”
But while projections are certainly good for this year, he will watch closely what happens at several other state and regional fairs set to open in the coming weeks.
Indeed, one wildcard could be gas prices, which, while they’re coming down, remain historically high and could deter some families from driving
communica- tion plan. It is important that companies are knowl-
edgeable about the prospective initiatives so they can answer any and all questions that may arise.
The company should support its initiatives by marketing them internally and externally to the gen- eral population, which could lead to potential expo- sure to overall business growth and development.
Implement It
At the core of implementing a successful DE&I program is implementing it in a manner consistent with the company mission, vision, and strategy. Including DE&I initiatives in your business model
Kylie Brown is an associate attorney at the Royal Law Firm who specializes in labor and employment-law, and Tanzania Cannon-Eckerle is the firm’s chief administrative and litigation officer, who specializes in business and labor and employment law with certifications in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Workplace Investigations. The Royal Law Firm is
a woman-owned, women-managed corporate law firm that is certified as a women’s business enterprise with the Massachusetts Supplier Diversity Office, the National Assoc. of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms, and the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council.
thought-out
provides business growth opportunities and positive employee relations.
Implementation can start with recruitment, attracting different people from different back- grounds in order to bring new ideas to the table. Infuse DE&I in the employee-relations program by creating policies that are developed with the input of a cross-section of stakeholders and are consistently applied in an equitable manner.
Infusing all company mechanisms with DE&I approaches will be justified by the quantifiable growth and development it produces, as well as the prevention of discrimination and harassment law- suits — and by the sense of belonging the company’s workforce maintains. u
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