Overview
The city of Springfield is the third largest municipality in the Commonwealth178 and is largely an anomaly amongst the communities of Western Massachusetts. As detailed in the main report, communities in the western region of the state are mostly small and dispersed,179 whereas Springfield is a large urban center with some demographic differences. Survey data from Springfield and discussions with officials from other western communities reveal that the largest city in the region also faces common infrastructure issues that were identified in this report, such as older facilities in need of repairs, deteriorating roadways and a reliance on Chapter 90 Program funds, and expensive design requirements for larger projects requiring state approval.180 As 1 in 6 people in Western Massachusetts live in Springfield,181 the challenges the city faces concerning infrastructure are many times larger than those of other communities in the area.
Demographics
With a population of around 155,000 people, Springfield is almost three times larger than the second largest community in this region, Chicopee.182 Unlike most of Western Massachusetts, where communities are more likely to have aging residents, Springfield is the opposite; the median age in Springfield is 33.4 years of age, lower than the Hampden County average of 45.5 years, which contains the city of Springfield. It is also lower than the other western county average ages: Hampshire County at 47.9 years, Franklin County at 50.2 years, and Berkshire County at 51.8 years.183 As other western communities saw a loss in school-aged children, Springfield saw a growth of 5.6% in its enrollment numbers between the 2011–2012 and 2018–2019 school years.184
However, Springfield has seen some slight population loss similar to other Western Massachusetts communities. Between 2010 and 2020, Springfield’s labor force shrunk by 6.44%.185 Over the same period, its population shrunk by 489 people or 0.3%, a relatively small loss compared to other communities in the region.186 As a result of these demographic trends, Springfield has been able to avoid some of the infrastructure concerns that smaller towns encounter.
Infrastructure Issues
Like other communities in Western Massachusetts, Springfield has a large amount of road mileage to maintain but not enough funds to meet this obligation. The city has over 1,110 lane miles, and it estimates that it would need $12–15 million per year to adequately maintain its roads, with a goal of resurfacing roadways every 20 years.187 However, for roadway maintenance, the city relies entirely on Chapter 90 Program funding from the state, which provides only $3.6 million per year. Only seven other communities in Western Massachusetts rely on Chapter 90 Program funding for greater than 90% of their road budget, and only two others rely entirely on Chapter 90.188 The city assigned a D rating to the condition of its roadways, reflecting the lack of resources available for upkeep of the many roadway miles.
Compounding issues around transportation infrastructure are the expensive design requirements to undertake certain projects. Springfield noted189 that, with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation,
A project usually takes 7 years from concept to final construction and places an undue burden on the community with the funds for the design portion that with recently modified rules and regulations cause municipalities to spend 25-35% of the construction cost out of pocket.
In contrast to its experience with this program, Springfield noted that MassWorks has been a success for them and that, among state aid options, a “direct appropriation to [Springfield] would be most desirable allowing for the most flexibility.”190
Even with more state aid, Springfield would still have a large price tag associated with its municipal infrastructure. In terms of municipal buildings, Springfield noted that most of its facilities are in need of repair. The city does have some new facilities, such as a modern communications facility and some Council on Aging buildings. However, other buildings are in need of extensive repair or replacement. Although fire facilities are noted to be in good condition, the police facility is in “horrible condition,” according to the city. Public works garages have “no indoor area to store vehicles,” and administrative buildings need updates such as roof, door, and window replacements, as well as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning improvements. Springfield also has numerous library facilities, and these are in a wide array of conditions.
The average grade Springfield gave in our survey to its municipal buildings was a C, with public safety and public works buildings receiving D grades, and the new communications facility receiving an A. Estimated total replacement costs by the City for these facilities total $580 million, while total annual repair and renovation is estimated to cost around $310 million. However, Springfield rated its ability to afford these infrastructure expenses at a 1, meaning “not at all.”191 Compounding the issue of limited resources are an uncertain local aid picture and the impact of the 2019 coronavirus pandemic on municipal finances, which Springfield highlighted as sources of concern. Overall, the city shares many financial and facilities concerns with other communities in Western Massachusetts, most notably an inability to provide necessary maintenance to aging or small facilities that do not serve modern municipal needs.