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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
www.thewestfieldnews.com VOL. 83 NO. 43
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2014
Councilors discuss free cash spending
Meghan Duggan of the Untied States celebrates her goal against Canada with teammate Kacey Bellamy during the second period of the women’s gold medal ice hockey game at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. See additional story and photos Page 9. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette)
After collapse, U.S. women try to enjoy silver medal JIMMY GOLEN AP Sports Writer SOCHI, Russia (AP) — Silver medals around their necks. Tears in their eyes. “We didn’t train as hard as we could for second place,” U.S. women’s hockey captain Meghan Duggan said on Friday, a day after the Americans lost to Canada 3-2 in overtime in the Olympic gold medal game. “In our sport, you have to lose your last game in order to win a silver medal,” she said. “(But) you’ve got to look at the glass half full, or else I don’t think you can move on. I don’t think sport defines anyone. I think we’re a powerful group of women … we have each other to share in the moment and get through the heartbreak of it, and also celebrate what we’ve done.” An empty-netter that wasn’t. A sloppy player change that left the U.S. short-handed in overtime. A potential penalty
shot that turned into a twominute minor and the eventual game-winning goal. There were plenty of little things that went wrong for the Americans in their fourth consecutive Olympic loss to their archrivals, but the biggest issue was this: They had a two-goal lead with 3:26 left to play in the third period, and they let Canada back in the game. “We didn’t finish the job,” said coach Katey Stone, who was the Harvard coach when it lost in the NCAA championship game three years in a row. “There really isn’t much to say to take away the sting.” The Americans took a 2-0 lead on goals by Duggan and Alex Carpenter, and Jesse Vetter shut out the three-time defending Olympic champions into the 57th minute of the game. But a freak goal — a misdirected shot that was redirected off defender Kacey Bellamy’s knee — put the Canadians within one. “Bad puck luck, I guess,”
Bellamy said. “I didn’t see it at all and I looked back and it was in the net. You just try and keep your head up and bounce back and just go for the next play.” And then came the erstwhile empty-netter. With Canada goalie Shannon Szabados off for an extra skater, Kelli Stack flipped a clearing pass down the ice. As it slowly skidded toward the empty net, Stack realized that it was slightly off the mark. It hit the post and came to rest harmlessly in the crease. “Honestly, it wasn’t meant to be,” Stack said. “If it would have been an inch to the right, it would have went in, and we would have won the gold medal. When pucks don’t bounce your way, you’ve just got to know that it wasn’t meant to be, and we live to fight another day.” About 30 seconds later, Marie-Philip Poulin scored to tie the game. The Americans See Olympics, Page 3
See Ice Dams, Page 3
Hilmar Hoppe of Westfield cleans his roof and gutters to prevent ice dams which can damage the interior and exterior of the home. (File photo
— Lord Chesterfield
75 cents
Westfielders combat ice dams
By Peter Francis Staff Writer WESTFIELD – As greater Westfield recovers from a flash snowstorm earlier this week, followed by a day of warm conditions Thursday, many residents are attempting to rid their properties and roofs of snow to avoid a problem that is afflicting homes all over the Northeast. Ice dams form on the rooftops as a result of water building up behind ice that has gathered. Unable to drain properly, the water sits atop the roof, which can lead to major damage to a home’s interior. “We’ve dealt with about 20 homes this winter,” said Travis Stopa, owner of Stopa Roofing in Blandford. “It’s definitely been worse than most years. The consistent snowfall and consistent cold weather… we’ve had two big snowstorms, with cold weather in between.” While Stopa admits this winter hasn’t been as bad as the winter of 2011-2012, he thinks that people are either just becoming aware of what can happen to unattended roofs or are still neglecting their domiciles. “(In 2011-2012) we got a lot of people calling, saying their roofs, windows and walls were leaking,” he said. “But even now, you still see people with between a foot and two feet of snow on their roofs. And with this warm weather and rain this week, that means a lot more melting, which could lead to pretty serious damage.” How serious? Stopa says that he has seen sheetrock, insulation and interior damage costing around $10,000 in repairs. “It all depends how long you let it go,” he said, adding that once you can see brown spots on your walls, “it’s already pretty bad.” While the snow western Hampden County has seen this week has been mostly of the fluffy, powdery variety, it is exactly that type of precipitation that can exacerbate ice dam conditions. “With the addition of rain in the immediate forecast, dry, fluffy snow piled on roofs can act as a sponge, absorbing any additional sleet and rain, adding weight and stress to structures if not cleared,” said Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) Director Kurt Schwartz, adding that “flat, commercial roofs are most susceptible if they are not draining properly.” MEMA also encourages residents to clear their neighborhood storm drains to avoid local flooding as a result of runoff. The damage from ice dams can
“In scandal, as in robbery, the receiver is always as bad as the thief.”
Team USA awaits the silver medals after losing 3-2 in overtime to Canada in the women’s gold medal ice hockey game at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
By Dan Moriarty Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The City Council approved a $40,278.36 free cash appropriation to initiate a five-year lease-toown contract for two new Department of Public Works mowers last night. The appropriation vote to approve the first year of that five-year contract also resulted in a discussion of the free cash process and how it is used as a key element of municipal finance, with members of the Finance Committee giving new councilors a primer on how that account is used and how those funds become available. Ward 5 Councilor Robert Paul, Sr. asked why the mower contract was being initiated with free cash and not in the DPW budget as a capital expenditure line item. Paul said that if the city knew it had uncommitted funding from the previous fiscal year, why was that money not used in the current budget to lower the tax increase from the 3 ½ percent imposed on taxpayers this fiscal year. “We had a 3 ½ percent tax increase,” Paul said. “So now we’re spending outside the budget instead of giving money back to the taxpayers.” Ward 6 Councilor Christopher Crean, a member of the Finance Committee, said that the funding was cut from the current budget, with an agreement See Free Cash, Page 3
Southwick Planning Board seeks help By Hope E. Tremblay Staff Writer SOUTHWICK – The Planning Board is seeking residents to serve on a new driveway sub-committee. Two members of the general public will be appointed to the committee, which will also include one member each from the Fire Department, Police Department, Department of Public Works, Conservation Commission and two members of the Planning Board. Planning Board Chairman Douglas Moglin said the purpose of the committee is to research and discuss driveways in Southwick, with special attention to common driveways, and possibly create a bylaw for Town Meeting. The town’s lack of a driveway bylaw came to the board’s attention after numerous residents asked the board to help with street repair. Moglin said in many cases, the board found that the street was not a town owned road and often was not a street at all, but a common driveway. “Your heart goes out to those people, but the town can’t take them on,” said Moglin of the driveway concerns. Residents will have the opportunity to vote on a proposed moratorium on common driveways at the spring Town Meeting. The moratorium would not See Planning Board, Page 3
by Frederick Gore)
Noble Hospital is proud to sponsor the annual Pink in the Rink breast cancer awareness game! Join Noble’s Comprehensive Breast Care Program and the Burk Women’s Center in celebrating survivors as well as raising funds and awareness for breast cancer! Springfield Falcons vs. Providence Bruins Saturday, March 1, 2014 Game starts at 7:00 PM MassMutual Center, Springfield Tickets are $15 each To purchase game tickets, please contact the Community Development Office at x5980 or info@noblehealth.org. Purchase tickets at give.noblehospital.org/pinkintherink