Elected officials and Chicopee Public Schools administration team celebrate the ribbon-cutting of the new school administration building at 229 Exchange St.
Reminder Publishing photo by Tyler Garnet
CHICOPEE — Chicopee Public Schools will finally have a more centralized, accessible location to do business. On Aug. 28, School Department members, elected officials and residents attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a permanent location for Chicopee’s school administration office at 229 Exchange St.
The celebration comes several weeks after Chicopee announced in July that it finalized the purchase of the Westfield Bank buildings at 219 and 225–233 Exchange St. to serve as the new administrative offices for Chicopee Public Schools.
The former Chicopee School Department administration building, located at 180 Broadway St., was built over a century ago and long served as the district’s headquarters. After it was deemed unsafe and outdated, with poor ventilation and other deficiencies, the district moved its offices to a leased space at 134 Dulong Circle in 2021.
Following a comprehensive space and needs assessment, it was determined that the Exchange Street facility was best to meet the district’s administrative requirements.
Mayor John Vieau said it was important for him as mayor to find the school administration a permanent home.
“It worked out extremely well,” Vieau stated. “We followed procurement law, went through the RFP process, had one, thankfully one great response, and that was Westfield Bank. They definitely took care of this space.”
The former Westfield Bank, Chicopee Savings Bank and Balakier’s building will now house about 80 members of the school administration team. The building includes private offices, conference rooms, numerous workstations, break rooms, a large training room, storage areas, dedicated IT space and mechanical rooms.
The property is also located on a public bus route, providing accessibility to residents, families, educators and community members. The city said it also provides sufficient space to accommodate all administrative offices. Vieau talked about how the central location near City Hall and other municipal resources will improve accessibility and coordination among city departments.
“Knowing now that you’re two blocks from City Hall right at the bus stop, and have access to everyone is something very special,” Vieau said. “Accessibility, I think, is huge.”
The approximately 1.27-acre property, situated in the heart of Chicopee Center, offers ample parking for staff and visitors, is fully accessible and features well-maintained buildings, the city said.
Superintendent Dr. Marcus Ware shared how this move helps the school district’s strategy, improves operations and adds equitable resources.
The new location will also allow the School Department to consolidate administrative functions that were previously housed at multiple locations throughout the city.
“This building provides a space for so many of our central office staff who are currently housed out in school buildings that we are bringing back into the fold,” Ware said. “That is because we know space is a hot commodity and we want to be here and give space to all of our workers so we can work that much more closely together. This space also provides an answer to the community that spoke highly in the strategic plan about wanting to be more strongly connected with the School Department. That fulfills this mission three years later.”
The city purchased the property for $2.36 million along with the furnishings for an additional $20,000.
State Sens. Adam Gomez, Jake Oliveria and John Velis, as well as state Rep. Shirley Arriaga, were at the ribbon-cutting ceremony to present the city with a citation of congratulations and to tour the new space.
Arriaga, who attended Chicopee Public Schools, shared her excitement for the new administration building.
“I am thrilled and delighted to be here with you, not only representing you but really ensuring that the families have the means and transportation to get to this building,” Arriaga said. “Too many families unfortunately do not have the leisure of having private vehicles, and they cannot enroll their children or address certain concerns as they need to. This location, in the center of Chicopee, is essential for that reason.”
After the ribbon cutting, guests were invited to tour the new building.
