EASTHAMPTON — At its Jan. 8 meeting, the Easthampton City Council approved two separate fund transfers, one for two new pickleball courts and one for newly-bargained pay raises for one of the city’s unions.
The council voted to move $75,000 from the Community Preservation Act Reserved for Open Space Fund for the design and construction of two new pickleball courts at Nonotuck Park.
Councilor Thomas Peake, chair of the Finance Committee, explained that the new courts are needed as getting court time at the park’s current courts is increasingly more challenging. He noted that the crowd at the recent meeting was “one of the largest crowds we’ve seen for an appropriation.”
The city’s contribution will combine with $25,000 raised by Friends of Pickleball. Councilor Owen Zaret praised the expansion of the different ways that Nonotuck Park is being used beyond just team sports.
In another vote, the council also approved $39,300 being transferred from the Reserve Fund to various city accounts to account for retroactive pay and supplemental payments in the fiscal year 2025 budget for members of the recently-formed union for city workers.
Mayor Nicole LaChapelle explained that funding retroactive pay often happens when the city has to negotiate with its unions. Recently, city workers joined the American Federation of State and Municipal Employees union and negotiated for pay raises. The mayor added that many of the employees hadn’t had a raise in almost eight years and many are women. Councilor Koni Denham note that many of these workers are the “backbone of the services we provide.”
At the beginning of the meeting, during public comment, two city residents spoke up about concerns regarding how the council accepts criticism and the overall culture of the City Council, with resident Carolyn Cushing calling it “toxic” especially during December conversations about potential increases in the mayor’s salary and the stipends for the School Committee and City Council members.
In a reluctant approval, the City Council also accepted a letter from City Clerk Barbara LaBombard announcing her retirement, effective March 31.
