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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
www.thewestfieldnews.com VOL. 86 NO. 22
“If we die, we want people to accept it... We are in a risky business and we hope that if anything happens to us, it will not delay the program. The conquest of space is worth the risk of life.”
— VIRGIL I. “GUS” GRISSOM
75 cents
FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2017
WNG File Photo
Could fiber expansion happen? By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD—It’s now up to city council to determine if high-speed internet will become even more accessible in Westfield. The city council’s finance subcommittee voted unanimously last night to move a $15 million bond request to city council for vote. The bond will tentatively be used to expand Westfield Gas and Electric’s (G&E’s) Whip City Fiber internet service across the city. The bond would help to create a significant increase in the highspeed internet service over two years, and will now go to city council for approval when they meet next Thursday.
Barns Aquifer map from the BAPAC website.
Westfield officials using Cape Cod’s water issues as guidance Finance subcommittee discusses Whip City Fiber with Westfield G and E representatives. And while the $15 million bond wouldn’t provide coverage for the entire city, well over half of Westfield would be upgraded. If approved, Whip City Fiber would utilize the bond to help provide the high-speed internet
option to 70 percent of homes in the city, which would be up from the 13 to 15 percent of homes currently covered. “We determine at this time See Fiber, Page 3
Mass DEP grant program could benefit Southwick DPW By GREG FITZPATRICK Correspondent SOUTHWICK – The Southwick Department of Public Works will be applying to the Sustainable Materials Recovery Program (SMRP) grant that is offered by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP). The grant is a part of the Recycling Dividends Program (RDP), which provides the grant money to specific municipalities who have programs and policies that improve waste reduction, reuse, and recycling. According to Department of Public Works (DPW) Director Randy Brown, one of the policies that he is attempting to change is to make it a regulation for solid waste handlers to have a permit when operating in the town of Southwick. Southwick Board of Health Director Tom FitzGerald mentioned that the regulation would be completely new for Southwick. “There’s been no permitting up until now,” said FitzGerald. FitzGerald also said that the solid waste handler permit would be about $100.
By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD—The city’s water officials will be visiting Cape Cod soon, but not for vacation. Instead, they’re hoping to find a way to maximize the Cape’s efforts to solve the water contamination problem in Westfield. City officials said that they are planning a visit out to the area to try and learn more about how the community of Barnstable and others have been dealing with their own water contamination. The contamination out there is similar to Westfield’s in several ways, and officials want to be able to use the Cape’s experience to help out residents back home. “We are looking to set up a visit with the Cape to see what they have going on and to learn what we can from their successes and build on their successes,” Westfield water systems engineer Heather Miller, said. A large portion of the Cape’s water supply comes from the same type of source as Westfield, an aquifer, and the
Cape Cod aquifer has seen a contamination from perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs), just like Westfield, suspected from a similar source, the Cape Cod Joint Air Base and aqueous firefighting foam (AFFF) that was used on the base, as well as at a nearby firefighting academy. The town of Barnstable has been dealing with this contamination problem and has treated it similarly to what Westfield officials intend to do. Their treatment has been by passing water through large granular-activated carbon filters (GACFs), which catches contaminants and produces cleaner water for residents. However, the Cape’s efforts have been mixed, which is where Westfield can learn most from. Miller said that Westfield is currently in the process of getting bench scale testing done for the water of the contaminated wells, which is something officials out on the Cape did not do. The See Water Issues, Page 3
WESTFIELD POLICE DEPARTMENT
New animal control officer appointed Board of Health Director Tom FitzGerald is working on a draft to send to Mass DEP for the SMRP grant application. (WNG File Photo) In the SMRP grant process, there is a point system that the applicant has to follow in order for funding to be calculated. Points are added to the application depending if the municipality fulfills one of the categories that has points. The DPW will need at least a minimum of six points in order to be eligible for the RDP payments. FitzGerald is working with Brown on this effort as he is currently establishing a
draft for the application to send out MassDEP’s SMRP. Brown acknowledged that there is a great opportunity to not only regulate a permit for solid waste handlers, but also receive grant money for that program. “If there’s an added benefit of getting some grant money out of it, now is the time to do it,” said Brown. For more information on the SMRP, go to the Energy & Environmental Affairs page on Mass DEP
By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD — The city’s police department has a new face for animal matters. The Westfield Police Department hired Renee Robichaud, of Springfield, as a new animal control officer for the city. The police commission met during a special meeting to offer the position to Robichaud on Wednesday, and she accepted late yesterday. Robichaud will be filling the position that was left vacant by former animal control officer Kerri Francis, who had transferred to another position within the police department in December 2016. Westfield Police Chief John Camerota said that the department is glad to have Robichaud as a new animal control officer. “She’s a very bright young lady, graduated from UMass with a chemical engineering
degree, then spent six years in that field before leaving due to love of animals,” Camerota said. She has previously served for the last six years with TJ O’Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center in Springfield. Robichaud will operate as an animal control officer for the city, along with two other staff members. The office covers Westfield, as well as several nearby communities, including Easthampton, Southampton and West Springfield. Duties of the position include investigating animal cruelty claims, protecting the wellbeing of animals, capturing sick, injured or lost animals and helping to protect residents from animals. Robichaud is expected to begin her new position by Feb. 20.