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TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 2017 TUESDAY, JUNE 27,4,2017 FRIDAY, AUGUST 2017
Unique museum program set for kindergartners By LORI SZEPELAK Correspondent WESTFIELD-With the days of summer passing quickly, soon children will be back in classrooms – and for some youngsters entering kindergarten – the thought of starting school might be intimidating. To help alleviate the anxiety that some children might be feeling, a fun and thoughtful program titled “Countdown to Kindergarten” will be offered at the Amelia Park Children’s Museum on South Broad Street on Aug. 18. “Countdown to Kindergarten was offered years ago, and we want to bring it back this year, to help children and families transition to kindergarten,” said Katherine Daly, museum director/manager. The 60-minute program will be offered at 11 a.m. and again at 1 p.m. and is free with a paid admission. Museum admission is $7 per person. The first 20 families to register will also receive a free copy of “Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten.” “Parents and children should attend to gain insight on what to expect in kindergarten,” said Daly, who has a master’s in early childhood education and is a former preschool teacher. “This program will allow children to learn through Howard Gardener’s eight styles of learning, which will captivate learners on many levels.” Daly noted that the program is “special” because it’s a way for children and parents or caregivers to experience a guided glimpse of kindergarten. “The program will allow parents and children to see where they stand academically and socially, as they learn through play and interact with peers,” See Museum, Page 3
Katherine Daly, director/manager of the Amelia Park Children’s Museum, will be assisted by staff members including Grace Bergeron, on right, when they present a unique program titled “Countdown to Kindergarten.”
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A rucksack, like what will be seen on the Vet Ruck New England. (Photo provid-
Darren Bean in the body armor that he will wear during the ruck walk. (Photo provided by
ed by Darren Bean)
Darren Bean)
Veterans and others set to walk across state for awareness of veteran issues By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent PITTSFIELD—Veterans, their friends, family and supporters are marching 200 miles across the Commonwealth to bring awareness to veteran suicide. A total of 11 members—eight veterans and three community members—from the Warrior Thunder Foundation, a nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated to helping veterans and raising awareness, will be holding a 200-mile ruck walk called the New England Vet Ruck. The walk is set to travel from Pittsfield to Plymouth and will happen from Aug. 17 to 20. “The primary thing to do is to raise awareness for veterans in transition,” Darren Bean, retired sergeant major of the US Army and president of the Warrior Thunder Foundation, said. According to Bean, veterans return back from active duty and struggle with transitioning back into civilian life. In addition, suicide is a very real risk for veterans. “Twenty veterans a day take their own life, that’s a staggering number,” he said, quoting a number Bean said was provided by the Veterans’ Administration. These 20 suicides a day will be represented by 10 miles each, totaling the walk’s 200 miles. With this in mind, Bean said that he and his group will be performing the ruck walk, which is a walk while carrying a backpack, or rucksack. The rucksack is expected to weight 25 to 35 pounds and will be worn for the entirety of the 200-mile trek by the participants. In addition, Bean said that he would be wearing body armor. “It’s representing the burdens our veterans carry with them,” See Veteran Issues Walk, Page 3
participate,” said Melanie McNamara, director of fundraising. On its website, the league reports an annual operating budget that exceeds $60,000, with limited revenues of approximately $35,000 from player registrations. Examples of fixed annual expenses listed include league insurance and fees, field rental, fees for officials, equipment purchases and maintenance, and purchase of uniforms. During the weekend of Aug. 12-13, football players from the pee wees to the seniors – and cheerleaders – will be conducting a variety
of fundraising projects including car washes in the city and a pancake breakfast at Moolicious Farm at 258 Feeding Hills Road, Southwick. On Thursday afternoon, cheerleaders and their coach stopped by the Moolicious Farm to review the Aug. 13 breakfast that is planned from 7 a.m. to noon. The breakfast menu includes pancakes smothered in syrup and butter, bacon, sausage, home fries, coffee, tea, water and milk. The cost is $8 for adults and $6 for seniors and children. Rylee Labonte, who has
By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD–A one-car rollover accident early Friday morning sent one person to Baystate Noble Hospital, according to police. The accident, which occurred after midnight, was at North West Road and Bates Road. Westfield Police Capt. Michael McCabe reported that the vehicle had reportedly gone up an embankment about 4 feet high on the side of the road and struck a small tree. According to McCabe, the driver reported that the vehicle had rolled over twice. The driver also reported to police that a tire had allegedly locked up prior to the crash. There was only one occupant and they were transported to Baystate Noble Hospital via Westfield Fire ambulance and personnel.
Westfield/Curtis Blake High School Partnership Program By AMY PORTER Correspondent WESTFIELD – Westfield Public Schools and the Westfield Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) are holding a special informational presentation to learn about the new Westfield/Curtis Blake High School Program on Monday, August 7 from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Westfield High Dr. Adam Garand, administrator of School Library. special services for This pilot program is designed to support students in Grade 9 who are Westfiel Public Schools. currently placed in an out-of-district program to receive reading services. Dr. Adam Garand, administrator of special services for the Westfield school district, said the new initiative will offer a unique opportunity for students. He said currently, there are only a couple of private day schools with highly specialized literacy-based programs. See Partnership, Page 3
Westfield State University valedictorian passes away
been a cheerleader for six years and will start seventh grade at the South Middle School in the fall, “connects” to the sport. “It’s a lot of hard work but I love cheerleading,” said Labonte. “We hope that people turn out for our fundraiser which will help us buy new uniforms, pompoms and bags.” Alexandria Monczka, a cheerleader for four years, echoed those sentiments. Monczka begins seventh grade at the SouthwickTolland-Granville Regional
By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD—Westfield State University reported Thursday the untimely passing of the Class of 2017 valedictorian Randi Lemenager. According to information released by Westfield State University via their Facebook page, Lemenager, 22, “was a Special Education major and student leader” at the school. A memorial page set up in Lemenager’s Photo of Randi honor stated that her passing Lemenager, as seen occurred on Aug. 1. Lemenager was originally born in on Westfield State University’s Winchester and was a Peabody resiFacebook page dent, where she graduated from Peabody Veterans Memorial High School in 2013, according to the memorial page. In addition, most recently Lemenager was working as a summer school teacher at the Brown School in Peabody and for the Peabody Recreational Educational Center. From the University’s release: “In addition to serving as a long-standing peer mentor with the Inclusive Concurrent
See Fall Sports, Page 2
See Valedictorian, Page 3
Youth pitch in to raise funds for fall sports By LORI SZEPELAK Correspondent WESTFIELD-As participants start Westfield Youth Football practices – and its cheer teams begin learning robust routines – it is also a time to raise awareness that funds need to be raised to support both endeavors. “Money raised from fundraisers – including our annual fundraising weekend – are used to ensure the athletes have all of the best equipment currently available in the sports of football and cheer and to help keep costs low so that all youth in Westfield and the surrounding towns can
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Whalley Park delay and damage cost responsibilities debated By GREG FITZPATRICK Correspondent SOUTHWICK –The Whalley Park project was discussed during Wednesday night’s Park and Recreation meeting. Rob Levesque of R. Levesque Associates, who is the consultant for the project, was present to address the current situation with the contractor, JL Construction. In a draft letter recently provided to the Park and Recreation Committee, which hasn’t been officially sent to JL Construction, Levesque addressed a few items regarding tasks that JL Construction was requested to complete under the specifications portion of the project. For irrigation, JL Construction encountered several damaged locations of irrigation and Levesque has responded by saying someone has to be responsible for the damages that have been caused to some of the irrigation. Down Under, a local irrigation company in Southwick, has done work at Whalley Park numerous times and had worked with JL Construction in the past. Down Under ended up completing the irrigation repairs, which totaled to $8,912.17.
Although, in Levesque’s letter, the consulting firm believes that JL Construction should be held responsible for any fees that could be associated with irrigation repairs. “In the specifications it clearly states that the contractor is responsible for any damages to existing facilities,” said Levesque. Another item discussed in the letter was the electric delivery fee. Levesque talked about that situation as follows: “Industry standards indicate that the contractor, being JL, is responsible for any utility fees resulting from the testing and activation of equipment installed under the contract during and for a period of time after the completion of the project. Electricity was provided to the newly installed lighting systems from an existing power supply at Whalley Park. The Park & Recreation Commission has offered to waive the Supply fee incurred but was invoiced a Delivery fee for a period when testing occurred but no Park events requiring use of the lighting systems took place.” With a delivery fee being due to Eversource for $1,017.71, Levesque also feels that JL Construction should cover any
costs that involve the utility delivery fee. The third and final item that Levesque noted was the liquidated damages. Originally, the completion date for the project was to be March 30, 2017. According to Levesque’s letter, on March 23 JL Construction requested an extension until May 31, but the Park and Recreation Committee denied that request. Reported by the Westfield News on April 6, Levesque acknowledged to JL Construction Owner, Jason Larochelle that a $500 fine would be issued to the company for every day they were past the March 30 deadline for the project. Since JL Construction finished the project 28 days late, on April 27, Levesque believes that the contractor owes a total of $14,000 in liquidated damages. It hasn’t been decided yet, but Larochelle did say that he is thinking about disputing the roughly $23,900 that Levesque states that he should owe for the irrigation, electrical fees, and liquidated damages. The Westfield News will continue to provide updates on this as information surfaces.