Despite resistance from the City Council, John Vieau, the Mayor of Chicopee, approved a $69,250 order for an upgrade to the Chicopee Country Club before its April 1 opening.

The golf course officials, with guidance from the Building Department, decided to shift the new walk-in freezer to a permanent pad away from the construction area.

This came as part of a larger remodeling project. The Mayor revealed that the back of the clubhouse building required repairs. That gave the Country Club a chance to

Vieau claimed, “This [relocation of the freezer and a new walk-in cooler] would put the cooler out of that construction zone but in an immediate location to walk out for accessibility by the current concession.”

Vieau and a few other councilors believed it was a matter of urgency and approved the order on February 17. However, some city councilors expressed their concerns.

City Councilor Susan Goff's concern was that the course wasn’t completely utilizing the $97,500 approved for a new clubhouse roof in August 2025, before ordering the new cooler.

Additionally, she revealed that the background paperwork had no quotes listed for the freezer replacement. The MGL Chapter 30B needs three quotes for the replacement, since the cost goes beyond $50,000. 

But Dave Rice, the Facilities Maintenance Director of the city, clarified that he received a $58,000 quote for the walk-in cooler. And since the payment can be done from the state contract, three quotes were unnecessary. 

The council wasn’t really against the improvements. But it demanded transparency. 

City Councilors Weren’t Against Improving the Golf Course

Councilors Mary Beth Pniak-Costello and Jessica Avery expressed that while they weren't against the upgrade, they had hoped for more transparency.

City Councilor Abigail Arriaga said, “I’ve never been against improvements. There was more information in the conversation that was had that I would’ve liked to have seen beforehand. I would’ve liked to have known that they didn’t do the full roof.” 

“I came into this meeting thinking the whole roof was done. Again, not against it, but the transparency was not there in any way, shape, or form," she added.

Another City Councilor, Douglas Girouard, claimed that the council was struggling with a “tired and old” building. Following a bit longer debate, the councilors agreed to cast their votes provided the course came before the Financial Committee.

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Written by

Krushna Pattnaik

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi