SPRINGFIELD – Springfield College officials are petitioning the city to close part of Wilbraham Avenue, calling it a safety issue after a student this year was struck by a car.
But city councilors question if closing the street would put a burden on residents in the Old Hill and Upper Hill neighborhoods, places where people were strongly opposed to the closing when college officials brought up the idea before.
“I actually attended a number of meetings in the Mason Square community and folks were not excited with this,” City Councilor Justin Hurst said of the petition submitted about 2½ years ago.
Springfield College wants to close Wilbraham Avenue between its intersections with Hickory and King streets. Kevin Roy, director of facilities for the school, said officials commissioned a study that identified traffic accidents, especially at Wilbraham Avenue and Alden Street, and concluded that the closing would reduce the danger.
The council agreed Feb. 2 to send the proposal to its general government committee. The vote was unanimous. There is no time frame for further action.
A few blocks north of the proposed area to be closed, Wilbraham Avenue connects with Wilbraham Road, which would not be directly affected by the change.
The city’s Board of Public Works examined the proposal and recommended that it be approved. If it is to be closed, the road would be turned over to Springfield College, since the school owns the property on either side, but easements would be needed for utilities that run under it.
Roy said the college would continue to maintain the storm drains and sidewalks for the safety of students and residents who also walk through the school.
The BPW, in a letter, said closing the road would improve public safety.
The college president, Mary-Beth Cooper, spoke Feb. 2 of an incident in which one of her students was hit by a car while crossing the intersection of Wilbraham and Alden streets. The student was badly injured and taken to a hospital.
“I cross that street every morning when I walk to the gym and it is the most dangerous thing I do every day,” she said.
Cooper said the college has no intention to seek any closing of portions of Alden Street.
When Hurst proposed the issue go to subcommittee for further review, and to give residents a chance to respond to the petition, Cooper said she did not object, but added that every day the street remains open, the danger remains.
Other councilors agreed with Hurst, saying the neighborhood deserves to be contacted about the issue, since residents aired concerns about the same proposal two years ago.
Residents at the time said they felt like they would lose an important route.
“As far as I know, it is a unanimous ‘heck no,’” said City Councilor Malo Brown, who represents the area where the street is. “I can assure you no one in the community wants it.”
Brown said the proposal seems to come up every few years and is never supported by the neighborhood. Two years ago, residents were strongly opposed to the proposal and state Rep. Bud L. Williams, who also represents the area, was against it as well.
City Councilor Zaida Govan agreed the proposed street closing should be studied further, adding it will also be good time to bring up the issue of payments in lieu of taxes.
The city is pushing for an effort to get colleges, health care facilities and other nonprofits, which are exempt from property tax payments, to agree to make voluntary contributions to relieve some of the increasing tax bills of residents.
