Search for The Westfield News
WEATHER TONIGHT Mainly clear. Low of 16.
The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
www.thewestfieldnews.com FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2014
VOL. 83 NO. 294
“Worse than not realizing the dreams of your youth, would be to have been young and never dreamed at all.” — Jean Genet
75 cents
Council vote sets 2015 tax rate By DAN MORIARTY Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The City Council, for the fifth year in a row, voted to adopt a residential shift of 1.63, which will result in a resident tax rate of $18.54 per $1,000 of value, up from the 2014 Fiscal Year rate of $18.18. The 2015 fiscal year commercial, industrial and personal (CIP) property tax rate will increase from the 2014 rate of $33.84 to $34.69 per $1,000 of value. The new residential rate will result in an increase of $81 for a residential property assesed at $225,000, the mean average in the city, and will increase $454.75 for CIP property
with an assessed value of $535,000, the mean average of commercial, industrial and personal property. At-large Councilor Cindy Harris made a motion to set a residential shift of 1.71 which would have resulted in a one cent increase to $18.19 per $1,000 of value, an annual increase of $2.25 for the mean average property. The CIP rate would have risen to $36.39 under the 1.71 shift factor, resulting in an annual increase of $1,364.25 on the mean average of CIP property assessed at $535,000 The council never voted on that motion. At-large Councilor David A. Flaherty offered an amendment, the 1.63 shift factor which was
adopted by a 9-4 vote, with Flaherty, Harris, Ward 1 Councilor Christopher Keefe and Ward 4 Councilor Mary O’Connell voting against that shift factor. The residential shift vote was actually anticlimactic, coming after a 7-6 vote to add $1.6 million to the levy, the other major component of setting the tax rate. The Council, on a 10-2 vote last June, slashed $3,232,772, roughly three month’s premium payments, from the city’s Health Insurance line item, knowing that it would have to later return that line item. Councilors opposed to adding $1.6 million, one half of what was cut last June, to the levy
See Cuts, Page 8
Southwick was denied a regional development grant because it did not receive enough comments from residents of Veteran Street, where a development project is proposed, among other items. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
Town to re-apply for development grant By HOPE E. TREMBLAY Staff Writer SOUTHWICK – The Board of Selectmen gave its approval this week to move forward with a regional development grant for Southwick and Granville. The communities are asking for $900,000, including $90,000 for a mobile food pantry and $479,000 for housing rehabilitation Selectman Joseph Deedy headed a committee to work on the application with Pioner Valley Planning Commission’s James Mazik. The town was denied the same grant during the last round of awards because it did not receive enough comments from residents of Veteran Street, where a development project is proposed, and a lack of documented participation in meetings, among other items. “The cutoff was 76 points and you were eight points below that,” said Mazik when he last met with the
board to talk about re-applying. Mazik said he believed another application showing improvements to areas such as Veteran Street would earn approval. He said that category scored an average of 53 points, due in part to lack of resident participation in advisory committee meetings and a lack of residential input. “Points were knocked off because there was no sign-in sheet,” Mazik offered as an example of why there was such a low score. One area of excellence on the original application was the mobile food pantry, which serves the town of Granville in addition to Southwick. “The mobile food pantry scored 67 points, which is really high,” he said. Mazik added that social service programs are not included as a category but count toward the average score. Housing and Rehab scored well, See Grant, Page 8
Five-year urban viability plan presented By PETER FRANCIS Staff Writer WESTFIELD – Diana McLean sat in a City Hall conference room organizing a PowerPoint presentation Wednesday morning, preparing to explain the outlook for the city’s five-year action plan regarding the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). For four years, McLean has been the city’s coordinator for the CDBG, a federal program issued through the Office of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) whose goal is to develop viable urban communities through improved housing, living environments and economic development opportunities. “Job creation and workforce development is something I would like to see the focus be for the next five years,” said McLean. McLean welcomed several members of the city’s non-profit community public service organizations who apply for funding annually to lay out the situation for them going forward. In attendance for the first of two public hearings Wednesday included Bill Parks of the Greater Westfield Boys and Girls Club, Wendy Lane Wright of the Carson Center and Allan Ouimet of Highland Valley Elder
See 2015 Tax Rate, Page 8
Granville students to attend combined school
Kocot opposes regional transportation funding cuts By PETER FRANCIS Staff Writer WESTFIELD – At a meeting of the Gateway Regional School Committee Wednesday evening, District Superintendent Dr. David Hopson referenced a letter sent by over 60 legislators to outgoing Governor Deval L. Patrick on behalf of the Commonwealth’s regional school districts urging him to restore his recent $18 million 9C cut to regional transportation funding. Hopson said all of the legislators representing the Gateway District signed the letter except one. “(Representative) Peter Kocot was the only legislator from Gateway who did not sign the letter asking to restore that funding for regional transportation, unless I missed his name,” said Hopson. Kocot, a Northampton Democrat who has represented the 1st Hampshire District and the Gateway Regional town of Montgomery since 2002, said that while his signature may have been missing from the letter sent by former state Rep. Anne Gobi, he has taken other avenues to express his opposition to Patrick’s cuts. “It’s been made clear that the House and Senate are going to wait to address all of the issues that relate to our budget shortfall,” said Kocot. “I’ve spoken to the House Chair of Ways and Means (Brian Dempsey, D-Haverhill) about regional transportation and I’ve made my feelings well known to him.” Kocot added that a letter sent by an outgoing member of the House – Gobi, a Spencer Democrat, won the election to fill the seat held formerly by outgoing Sen. Stephen Brewer, former chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee and vocal advocate for regional transportation funding – isn’t the only way that he can communicate with leadership in the House. “I’ve had several conversations with Rep. Stephen Kulik, as well, who is the vice chair of the House Ways and Means and represents towns served by Gateway,” said Kocot of the Worthington Democrat. “I’ve made my feelings well-known to them that I’d like to see a solution to that proposed cut.” Regarding the potential for seven teaching positions to be eliminated in the Gateway District due to a $241,000 district budget deficit as a result of the Patrick 9C cut, Kocot said deficits like these are an example of why he
said that rejecting the $1.6 million addition to the levy would enable the council to set the lowest tax rate possible, even while acknowledging that the $3.2 million would have to be returned to that line item. ”The $3.2 million cut was not to cut the budget. It was to reduce taxes,” Flaherty said. “Our goal was to reduce taxes. We knew we would have to put money back into the Health (Trust) Fund.” “This is the time to vote ‘no’ to get to a tax cut,” Flaherty said. “If we approve this (vote), it will transfer it to the taxpayers.”
Services, all organizations which have received funding in the past. Representatives for the city of Westfield and the school department were also on hand. “I expect the funding level to be about the same as it has been in the past,” said McLean, who said that the city has suffered a 21 percent funding drop ever since the federal government revisited and altered the CDBG formula. McLean explained that the purpose of the hearing was to receive feedback from organizations who apply for CDBG funding annually. In order to receive funds, an organization must meet one of three national objectives – they must provide a benefit to low moderate income persons, prevent or eliminate slums/blights or meet an urgent community need. McLean added that 99 percent of the time, the city’s CDBG focus is on project’s that meet the first objective. Specific activities that are eligible for CDBG funding under federal law include the acquisition, disposition, public facilities and improvements, public services, microenterprise assistance, special economic development, clearance activies and urban renewal
completion. “Because we do some economic development programs and projects, people think we’re like a small business loan or program,” said McLean. “But we only support microenterprises and small businesses if they’re a benefit to low income individuals.” McLean took the opportunity to inform those in attendance that January 16, 2015 is the deadline for organizations to submit proposals for CDBG funds. According to HUD, the city’s funding allocation for fiscal year 2014-2015 is $333,006, with a projected program income of $20,000 – acquired through loan payments from organizations involved with the CDBG – for a total of $353,006. Of this money, 65 percent (about $229,450) goes toward non-public services, while 20 percent ($70,600) is set aside for planning and administration, leaving 15 percent – roughly $52,950 – for what McLean refers to as a public services cap, to be distributed amongst CDBG applicants. “It’s really tough because you guys are all fighting for that lump of money,” said McLean before listing off over 10 services See Viability Plan, Page 8
By HOPE E. TREMBLAY Staff Writer SOUTHWICK – With a vote of 6-1, the Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School Committee approved relocating Granville Village School grades seven and eight to the new combined 7-12 school on the Southwick campus next fall. The lone vote against the measure was cast by the committee’s Granville representative William Stevenson. Stevenson plead his case for keeping the students intact prior to the vote. He also noted that the move would be approved but he hoped the school could then be utilized by Tolland students so that they did not have to endure the long bus ride to Southwick. “I apologize to the families of Tolland for making your children go so far to school,” Stevenson said, referring to a decision of the now defunct Granville School Committee not to allow Tolland students at the Village School. “The Granville School Committee no longer exists and the Village School is part of our district – this is the perfect time to move to Granville Village School,” he added. School Superintendent John Barry thanked Stevenson for his remarks on behalf of the Granville parents who expressed their displeasure at the move. Barry also stated he would consider his suggestion. “I’m more than happy to support an analysis of transportation to get Tolland students to (Granville Village School),” he said.
Westfield man dies in highway crash By CARL E. HARTDEGEN Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The victim of a fatal crash on Interstate 91 last Sunday has been identified as a city man, Vitaliy Fodor, 34, of 63 Vadnais Street. Connecticut State Police report that the crash occurred about 7:30 p.m. on Sunday in Enfield near Exit 49. The troopers report that Fodor had been operating his 2002 Honda Accord southbound on the interstate when it struck a metal beam guide rail on the right side of the highway and the vehicle overturned. All three of the occupants, who had not been wearing seatbelts, the troopers report, were ejected from the car by the crash. Fodor, according to the report, “suffered massive trauma and (was) pronounced deceased on scene.” Two passengers survived the crash. Alexandr P. Banari, 26, of 27 Alfred Lane, Bloomfield, New Jersey, was transported to Bay State Medical Center in Springfield. On Wednesday he was reported to be in ‘critical’ condition but by Thursday his condition had been upgraded to ‘fair’. The second passenger, Yuriy Sivolobov, 26, of 37 Sterling St., New Britain, Connecticut, was transported to Hartford Hospital where he was treated and released. Connecticut State Police ask that anybody who witnessed the crash call Trooper Christopher Tanner at 860-534-1000.