Search for The Westfield News
WEATHER TONIGHT
The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
Overcast. Low of 46.
www.thewestfieldnews.com VOL. 86 NO. 94
“To spare oneself from
grief at all cost can be achieved only at the price of total detachment, which excludes the ability to experience happiness.”
— Erich Fromm
75 cents
FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017
Finance Committee recommends $4 million bond; discusses solutions for roads By AMY PORTER Correspondent WESTFIELD – A bond order for $4 million for sanitary sewer extension to the Bigwood Drive project area, Western Avenue, Jessie Lane project area, Montgomery Road and Joseph Avenue was discussed at the Finance Committee on Thursday. Committee chair Robert A. Paul, Sr. said a $20 million bond order was put in several years ago, and the first $3 million was previously released for the Joseph Avenue project. The $4 million bond being discussed is the second rollout of the project. Paul said he has been involved with the Jessie Lane project portion, which is in Ward 5,and said the pumping station for that project can go at the end of Plantation
Planning Board mulls marijuana bylaws By GREG FITZPATRICK Correspondent SOUTHWICK – During Tuesday night’s meeting, the Planning Board made a decision on the marijuana moratorium. After closing the public hearing on the subject, the board voted in favor of sending the marijuana bylaws to town council for final preparation so it can be put on the ballot at the annual town meeting in May. The two bylaws were submitted separately; one being for medical marijuana and the other for recreational marijuana. The medical marijuana bylaw focuses on registered marijuana dispensaries. The definition in the drafted-up bylaw states that “it’s a not-for-profit entity that is registered under the law that acquires, cultivates, possesses, processes, transfers, transports, sells, distributes, dispenses, or administers marijuana, products containing marijuana, related supplies, or educational materials to registered qualifying See Bylaws, Page 3
Programs connect Vets, Families to ‘Wild Places’ By LORI SZEPELAK Correspondent SOUTHWICK – Todd Crevier feels at home in “wild places” from the Berkshires to the coast of Maine and his dream of sharing that passion with fellow veterans and their families is becoming a reality with the help of volunteers including Kevin and Rebecca Padberg of Westfield. Crevier, a Sergeant First Class with the U.S. Army, retired in October of 2014 and the next month founded the nonprofit New England Adventures. “New England Adventures began out of a passion to help connect veterans and their families with the wilderness of New England,” said Crevier during a recent brainstorming session at the Padberg home. “With an all-volunteer staff, 100 percent of all money raised goes directly to the veterans and families we serve.” For Kevin Padberg, a U.S. Air Force veteran, a bear hunt expedition last year gave him the “reset” he was seeking and now as a member of the board of directors, he wants to use his expertise to help See Wild Places, Page 3
Circle. In response to a question, Department of Public Works director David Billips said that portion is called the Jessie Lane Project because that is where the pumping station originally was slated to be installed, but the neighbors objected and threatened to sue. Billips said Plantation already has piping that was put in for sewers. Paul said the residents on Plantation have been waiting for the sewer. He added that once the bond is approved, it will be designed and signed off on engineering this year, and next year people should be able to get hooked up. “The people on Plantation are upset because they were told that the monies were approved three years ago,” Paul said. “Until someone said you could put a
pumping station here, that project was a no-go,” Billips said. He added that there are septic tanks failing on the street. The bond received a 3-0 favorable recommendation from the committee. Also approved were several transfers within departments. The Fire Department requested an appropriation of $12,375 from the Ambulance undesignated fund balance to the Ambulance purchase of services account to hire an outside contractor for quality assurance, a mandated program. The contractors will review and evaluate 1,500 calls, and also offer training to the department. “They will do a very competent evaluation of the calls,” said Chief Mary Regan. See Bond, Page 3
Finance Committee members David Flaherty, Matthew T. VanHeynigen, and chair Robert A. Paul, Sr.
EARLY MORNING FIRE
SOURCE: HTTP://WWLP.COM
13 homeless after fire at Mechanic street home Blaze has been put out By TAMARA SACHARCZYK 22News Investigative Reporter WESTFIELD (WWLP) – Thirteen people are homeless after a multi-family home at 67 Mechanic Street in Westfield caught fire early Friday morning. Westfield Fire Deputy Chief Eric
Bishop told 22News all thirteen were taken to the hospital for evaluation. He said two children are being treated for smoke inhalation. Firefighters have put out the house fire, which started around 5:15 a.m. Drivers are being asked to avoid Mechanic Street from Chapel Street to Bartlett Street, as fire crews are still on site.
City Council approves some items, refers others to committee By AMY PORTER Correspondent WESTFIELD – The City Council met on Thursday following a briefing by Mayor Brian P. Sullivan on communications from the mayor’s office, the majority of which concerned transfers within departments as the fiscal year comes nearer to a close, most of which were referred to the Finance Committee. During the meeting, the council gave immediate consideration to several items from the mayor, voting to accept a grant of $2,500 from the state for Narcan for the Fire Department. The council also waived the open container regulation for Westfield on Weekends “MusicFest” on Park Square Green for three Thursday concerts on June 15, July 20 and August 17. Also given immediate consideration were three appointments for the Historical Commission, which is short a
quorum due to the resignation of long-term members Danny Nason and Walter Fogg. Appointed were Westfield residents Cynthia Bronson, Debbie Oppermann and Carlene Bannish. Ward 5 Councilor Robert A. Paul, Sr. moved to accept Westfield Gas & Electric’s depreciation appropriation of $3,977,498 and move it to the Finance Committee. Paul said he referred it to the committee because they are having ongoing discussions with the municipal utility. Ward 4 Councilor Mary O’Connell said the Westfield G&E commissioners would be voting on the in lieu of taxes (ILOT) payment to the city at their meeting on Wednesday, May 3. She encouraged other councilors to attend the meeting. Paul acknowledged that the mayor and Council president Brent B. Bean, II have been having discussion. “It’s well
worth attending the meeting, to show how important it is,” he said. Under reports from committees, Paul said the Finance Committee recommended on a 3-0 vote to approve a $4 million bond order for the sewer extension for the Bigwood Drive project area, Western Avenue, Jessie Lane project, Montgomery Road and Joseph Avenue, which was discussed earlier in the evening. Paul said the money is for a pump station and hookups. He explained that the $4 million bond is the second rollout of a $20 million bond for sewer hookups recommended several years ago. He said the bond focuses specifically on putting a pump station on Plantation Circle. He said the money would be for design and construction, and hookups to the sewer. “Knowing the complexity See City Council, Page 5
Bedbugs continue to bother some Westfield residents By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD—The bedbug situation in Westfield Housing Authority (WHA) residences is a “chronic problem,” according to WHA director Dan Kelly. The bedbug problem, which WHA has been treating for over a decade, is continuing to strike apartments in the organization’s housing despite continued efforts to eradicate the problem. According to Kelly, an effective treatment option has been found and has been utilized but several factors playing into the situation have resulted in the problem continuing chronically. “Some of it is the doing of the tenants and some of it are the bugs,” Kelly said. “It’s an ongoing problem.” Kelly said that the source of the bedbugs is not certain, but possible culprits include bringing in items from the outside that may be currently affected. Additionally, when one apartment is treated, Kelly said that the bedbugs may travel to another, where they then become a nuisance to another occupant. “We’ve gone into an apartment and they are crawling on the wall and they didn’t want to say anything,” Kelly said. “You treat one apartment and hope it doesn’t move to the next.” And the problem is continuing to cost both the residents and the WHA. In the most recently completed fiscal year for WHA, which ran from April 1, 2016 to March 31 2017, Kelly estimated that WHA spent at least $6,000 on treatment for bedbugs. One positive though, is that this is about a half to two-fifths of what was spent during the previous fiscal year, as reported to The Westfield News in April of last year by Kelly. For residents, they are losing time in their apartments during treatment, and there is also a potential that furniture may have to be thrown out if the infestation is too large. According to notices sent to residents whose homes are treated, they must leave their apartments for at least four hours during each treatment, of which there are three. Also, all clothing, towels, linen and other cloths are to be removed from the premises, as well as washed and put into plastic before returning, and all surfaces must be thoroughly vacuumed. The treatment that is used by the WHA currently is a powder insecticide treatment that is administered by a local pest control company. Its cost is about $500 each treatment, but is less expensive than the other option, heat treatment, which can cost double.