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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
www.thewestfieldnews.com VOL. 83 NO. 32
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2014
State to institute food waste ban By Peter Francis Staff Writer BOSTON — The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has issued final regulations on a statewide ban on commercial food waste, making it the first state in the nation to institute such a measure, according to state officials. Unveiled last Friday, the regulations are set to take effect in October of this year and are intended to divert leftover food in an effort to reduce the state’s waste stream. The ban, which will be regulated through the state Department of Environmental Protection, now requires businesses that dispose of at least one ton of organic material per week to donate or “re-purpose” any useable food. Under the ban, any remaining food waste will have to be shipped to an anaerobic digestion facility, where it will be converted to clean energy, or sent to composting and animal-feed operations. While residential food materials and food waste from small businesses are not included in the ban, state officials believe this is a huge step for the Bay State. “(The ban) is critical to achieving our aggressive waste disposal reduction goals and it is in line with our commitment to increase clean energy production,” said State Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary and former Mayor of Westfield Rick Sullivan. Officials say the ban affects approximately 1,700 institutions statewide, including supermarkets, institutions of higher learning, hotels, convention centers, hospitals, nursing homes, restaurants and food service and processing companies. “That number (1,700) is an estimate from information we’ve received from consultants,” said Edmund Coletta, a spokesman for the state’s Department of Environmental Protection. “There are 300 supermarkets around the state who have been voluntarily employing food waste separation programs, and they’ve seen great results. Each store has saved between $10,000 and $20,000 a year.” He also stated that, aside from the bordering states of Connecticut and Vermont who are in the process of instituting similar bans, no other state in the country has such a policy in place. “They (Connecticut and Vermont) are in the preliminary stages, and I think New York, San Francisco, and a few other west coast cities have their own bans in place,” said Coletta, adding that he thinks the results of the ban will spur similar legislation in states across the country. According to Brian Houghton, vice president of the Massachusetts Food Association, the 300 supermarkets have actually been onboard with this initiative for some time now. “They’ve been doing this for several years now,” he said. “Most of our supermarkets have already been working with the DEP, so we’re ahead of the curve.” Houghton added that municipalities will be saving space in their waste management systems by diverting food waste through alternative methods. “The first option is to donate the food, and if you can’t do anything with it, turning it into compost or bringing it to places like pig farms is the next option.” he said, while also mentioning the diversion of foodwaste to anaerobic digesters, which he says the state “really supports.” “I believe there are around seven of them statewide,” he said. “They’re the big thing in Europe right now, and they’re another means to use our food waste to produce energy.” According to the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, an anaerobic digester uses micro-organisms to break down biodegradable materials, which create a biogas that can be used for heat and electricity.
“Do not read as children do to enjoy themselves, or, as the ambitious do to educate themselves. No, read to live.” — Gustave Flaubert
75 cents
Council approves Domus, COA funding
SOUTHWICK SELECTMAN JOSEPH J. DEEDY
Deedy encourages water rebate By Hope E. Tremblay Staff Writer SOUTHWICK – Selectman Joseph Deedy met with the Water Commissioners last night to help resolve a problem with a resident’s bill. Carol Ann Gauthier has been trying to resolve the problem for about a year. She attended several water meetings and after not receiving the solution she desired, she went to the Board of Selectmen about her concerns with both her water and sewer bills. The problem was with a meter that was broken for five years and fell through the cracks. Deedy was asked to serve as a liaison to Gauthier to reach a solution to the problem. The board, which also serves as sewer commissioners, ended up agreeing to give Gauthier back $591.55, minus $259.4 owed on the current bill. Deedy said the check was cut for $332.12. “She is now current and hopefully this won’t happen again,” Deedy said of Guathier’s sewer bill. While the Board of Selectmen have no say in what the Water Commission decides, Deedy said he went through her water bills and suggested the department give Gauthier back $498.71. Commissioner Edward Johnson noted that Gauthier already received two abatements and one “free bill,” but he would take Deedy’s suggestion “under advisement” and take up the matter at the next meeting because chairman Luther Hosmer was sick and missed last night’s meeting. “If you want to give her something back, I’d appreciate,” said Deedy, who presented the Commission with 13 pages of information on the subject. All agreed it was troublesome that a broken meter went undetected for five years. “It is disappointing that a meter wasn’t working for five years, but you can’t blame any one person,” Deedy said. The Water Commission is set to meet Feb. 20.
By Dan Moriarty Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The City Council wrung its hands and gnashed its teeth about spending, but in the end voted to approve funding requests for both the Domus Inc., “Our House” project and to complete the design of the Council on Aging Senior Center. Proponents and opponents of both projects packed the City Council Chambers to advocate for council support for the projects during the public participation phase of the session last night. Proponents cited the benefits to the community, while opponents cited the construction cost, $1.4 million for Our House and $7.1 million for the senior center, as exorbitant expenditures of public funds. The City Council acted to approve Community Preservation Act funding of $80,000 for the Domus project to rehabilitate the former Westfield Chapter House of the American Red Cross into single room residences for homeless students, with the value added benefit of preserving an historic Broad Street building. See Council Approves, Page 8
Westfield State interim president is just that By JOSHUA CLARK Editor-in-Chief The Westfield Voice WESTFIELD – Dr. Elizabeth Hall Preston, interim president of Westfield State University, is not interested in the permanent position of president. Preston, who has been in that position since Nov. 8 after the resignation and retirement of embattled now-former president Dr. Evan S. Dobelle, spoke to The Westfield Voice in an excluELIZABETH sive interview conducted before PRESTON the start of the semester. She said that even if she were to be interested, Richard Freeland, commissioner of higher education, would not allow it. “Commissioner Freeland…is very clear that interim presidents are not eligible to be candidates for the permanent position,” she said. “He was very clear on that point when we had a conversation and that’s not a problem for me.” She holds optimistic hopes for the campus this semester, especially since the 175th anniversary of the university has been an ongoing theme throughout the year. The university released a 2014 calendar that features history of the university, and the committee that plans the events surrounding the anniversary met to See Interim President, Page 8
See Food Waste Ban, Page 8
Advance plays part on Team USA By Peter Francis Staff Writer WESTFIELD – As the games of 22nd Winter Olympiad get underway in Sochi, Russia, this week, the City of Westfield is set to play a larger role than one might expect in the success of Team USA. While women’s ice hockey defenseman Kacey Bellamy is by far the most notable Whip City product repping the stars and stripes, a local manufacturing company is also playing a small part in the efforts of another Team USA squad. Widely known as “The Night Train” because of their
four-man bobsled’s distinct black paint job, USA-1 will be driven in Sochi once again by bobsled legend Steve Holcomb of Park City, Utah, who is looking to repeat his gold medal performance during the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, a performance made possible by bobsled blades, or runners, made by Advance Manufacturing in Westfield. “We’ve been manufacturing these blades since the early 2000s,” said Advance Manufacturing Production Manager Jeffrey Amanti. “All the guys here are very proud to produce these, and it’s a huge morale booster knowing
they’re part of the Olympic experience. Everyone is excited to be a part of it.” Amanti added that the company has made about 15 different sets of blades for the fourman team, which measure in at 14 mm thick, or about half an inch. The blades on the bottom front of the sled measure in at 36 inches long, while the bottom back runners measure 48 inches in length. Guy Ronzoni, an assistant plant manager at Advance, has been the bridge between the manufacturer and Team USA See Team USA, Page 8
Photo courtesy of www.bodynbobsled.com