The Catholic diocese of Springfield and a Westfield parish have reached a tentative agreement with the city of Westfield to sell the parish’s land for a new police station.
The parish and diocese were seeking about $950,000 for the land, but Mayor Michael McCabe said because of state law and the appraised value of the site, the city spent about $750,000 for the property with the help of outside donors. McCabe said the location of this land being in the North Side of Westfield will be great for the residents.
"There's always been this weird clamor [about how] there's nothing over here on the north side in terms of government agencies, government assistance,” McCabe said. “So that kind of worked for us. Again, nothing's perfect, but it certainly was well worth the investment for the city."
A financial advisor from Blessed Sacrament, Kevin O’Connor, said there was also recognition that the rectory had been empty for 15 years and that there had been no buyers coming forward for it until now.
“This is just a really great solution for the city, for the police department. It's a great solution for the north side of the city to have the public safety police department too,” O’Connor said.
McCabe said the agreement is pending city council approval. Once it's approved, he said construction for the new police station should begin in early fall.
