West Springfield Mayor Will Reichelt talks with a supporter after winning reelection in November 2025.
Reminder Publishing file photo
WEST SPRINGFIELD — Looking ahead to 2026, West Springfield Mayor Will Reichelt said the city has many projects to tackle.
Some of them focus on infrastructure to move people and water, others on where people will learn and work.
Over the past decade, West Springfield has invested in its water and sewer systems, and Reichelt explained that the levees have received “significant” investment, largely through the Army Corp of Engineers. “We have one of the largest levee systems in the state,” he said. West Springfield is bordered on the east and south by the Connecticut and Westfield rivers, respectively.
Now, the city’s stormwater management system needs attention. “When we have these storms that drop three inches of water in an hour, they can’t handle that,” Reichelt said of the storm drains and pipes. There are areas of West Springfield that routinely flood and, in some cases, roadways must be closed. Without upgrades to the stormwater system, those issues will spread.
The city plans to pursue grants and is in talks to partner with Agawam, which has similar stormwater needs. However, the upgrades will require a regular source of funding. Reichelt said the plan is to assess residents $25 per quarter to be added to an enterprise fund. He acknowledged that many people are already struggling financially but said that more frequent storm events have forced the issue.
“It’s not sexy to fix a culvert,” Reichelt said, but added, “A lot of it is asset protection. Making sure that you can get where you want to go and places are safe.”
Road safety is also on the schedule for upgrades, including a project to reconstruct Main Street with traffic calming measures, including bump outs and raised bike lanes.
Like other major intersections in recent years, the junction of Piper and Amostown roads is slated to receive a roundabout. In this case, it will be a peanut-shaped loop, allowing for slower traffic and limited opportunities for crashes. There are plans to install a sidewalk on Birnie Avenue between Morgan Road and Kelley Drive. With several subdivisions located in the area, Reichelt said the sidewalk is needed for children to walk to nearby Fausey and West Springfield Middle schools.
Taking a longer view, the city is planning to update its Master Plan, a document that lays out priorities in land use, economic development, and otherwise serves as a roadmap for the future. The last Master Plan was created in 2009. Reichelt said many of the items in that document have been pursued, but he pointed out that there are factors now that did not exist in 2009, such as frequent extreme weather and artificial intelligence. In the process of creating the new plan, residents will have the opportunity to give input on what they want to see in West Springfield over the next 25 years.
West Springfield has recently entered a phase of major building renovations and construction. In March 2025, the Walgreens at 99 Westfield St. closed its doors and the municipality purchased the 1.6-acre property for $1.99 million two months later. The property will become the city’s new police station. Reichelt said it is too soon to know if the project will include a renovation or new construction.
Then, there are the schools. On Jan. 13, the School Committee voted to adopt the recommendations of the Enrollment Advisory Committee, including the controversial decision to shutter Mittineague Elementary School.
“It was one of the hardest decisions the School Committee has had to make,” Reichelt said. While people are fond of neighborhood schools, he said it is not sustainable to operate several small facilities. He also shared his philosophy that it is the teachers, not the building, that “bring the school to life.”
Other school recommendations include upgrades to Memorial and Tatham elementary schools, as well as the consolidation of John Ashely School and Fausey Elementary School.
Considering all the changes ahead, Reichelt said, “It’s going to be a busy year.”
