With the Walgreens closing at 99 Westfield St in March, the town is hoping to turn the parcel into its new police station.
Reminder Publishing photo by Ryan Feyre
WEST SPRINGFIELD — The town of West Springfield is hoping to purchase the 99 Westfield St. parcel from Walgreens so it can use it for their future police station.
During its meeting on Feb. 18, the Town Council unanimously approved a supplemental appropriation of $2 million from free cash to execute the purchase after Mayor William Reichelt attended a public hearing to talk about the town’s dire need for a new station.
In his remarks, Reichelt mentioned how the current Police Department, which occupies part of the Town Hall on Central Street, was built in the 1970s and is considered cramped and outdated.
“The community now is vastly different from what it was back in the [19]70s and our police force is significantly larger as well,” Reichelt said during the meeting. “All the facilities, the layout, everything needs to be improved.”
The town has been trying to pinpoint a new location for a while, according to Reichelt. A Police Station Siting Committee was formed in early 2024, and the town’s original plan based on a feasibility study was to move the DPW out of its current 430 Westfield St. location, and build a new police station there. The move, the town thought, made sense since the DPW was also considered outdated.
That plan, however, did not work out.
Instead, the committee shifted its focus to the 99 Westfield St. parcel after Walgreens announced it was closing its doors. According to the Walgreens website, the store will shudder on March 20, which means patrons with prescriptions at that location must fill them at another Walgreens.
The closure of the West Springfield Walgreens is part of a broader mass exodus of the pharmaceutical chain in the United States. It was announced a few months ago that 1,200 stores would close across the country due to a struggle with a decrease in consumer spending.
West Springfield is now hoping to spin its Walgreens closure into a benefit for the town.
“They did reach out to us, and they are willing to sell [the parcel] to us pending funding,” Reichelt said. “It makes perfect sense. It’s right behind us.”
Reichelt added that the town is “very lucky” that this opportunity arose because it would expand the municipal facilities the town already has, keep the police station downtown, expand the parking and allow for more uses.
During the public hearing, Police Chief Jay Gearing echoed Reichelt’s sentiments and expanded on why the town is in need for a new station. He talked about the cramped nature of the current station; how women share a locker room with a supply closet; how the traffic bureau shares space in the records room; and how the locker rooms in general are in disrepair.
Gearing also said a new station is necessary so the Police Department can accomplish its retention and recruitment goals.
“It’s the number one priority across the state and it’s something that every chief is dealing with,” Gearing told the council. “I think a new police station is paramount for us to accomplish this goal.”
The Town Council unanimously agreed with Reichelt and Gearing about the need for a new station. District 2 Councilor Michael LaFlamme said that he and District 4 Councilor Frederick Connor toured the station with Reichelt.
“I don’t want to belabor the point, but it’s definitely in need of an upgrade,” LaFlamme said. “From the locker rooms, the shooting range, where the traffic bureau sits, to just about everything.”
At-Large Councilor Brian Griffin said that the issue of finding a new police station has been on his mind for many years. He noted how the 99 Westfield St. parcel feels like a light at the end of the tunnel.
He added that the purchase of this parcel would not require additional tax money from residents.
“We are on a mission to build a new police station, not only for the men and women in the police department, but for the general public as well,” Griffin said. “I think it will be very, very helpful.”
Once the purchase is complete, Reichelt said the next steps involve setting money aside in the capital budget to hire a designer to study the feasibility of the existing building on the parcel and what a new building would look like. After sharing those results with the council, the town will then look at additional funding for construction.
