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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
“Exuberance
is better than taste.”
— GUSTAVE FLAUBERT
www.thewestfieldnews.com FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015
VOL. 84 NO. 154
75 cents
Tow license conditions divide city council
Retired Air Force reserve tech Sgt. Ed Kienle, 73, holds a picture of himself, left, and fellow reservists during an interview at his home, Thursday, in Wilmington, Ohio. The government says U.S. Air Force reservists who became ill after being exposed to Agent Orange residue while working on planes after the Vietnam War would be eligible for disability benefits. The Department of Veterans Affairs said it has been working to finalize a rule that could cover more than 2,000 military personnel, including Kienle, who flew or worked on Fairchild C-123 aircraft in the U.S. from 1972 to 1982. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
U.S. agrees to pay millions for Agent Orange claims Westover veterans included By HOPE YEN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Ending years of wait, the government agreed Thursday to provide disability benefits to as many as 2,100 Air Force reservists and active-duty forces exposed to Agent Orange residue on airplanes used in the Vietnam War. The new federal rule, approved by the White House Office of Management and Budget, takes effect Friday. It adds to an Agent Orange-related caseload that already makes up 1 out of 6 disability checks issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The expected cost over 10 years is $47.5 million, with separate health care coverage adding to the price tag.
“Opening up eligibility for this deserving group of Air Force veterans and reservists is the right thing to do,” VA Secretary Bob McDonald said in a statement. His office held a series of private meetings with veterans’ organizations and lawmakers Thursday to discuss ways to expedite the delivery of benefits, including to surviving spouses. The new federal rule covers an expanded group of military personnel who flew or worked on Fairchild C-123 aircraft in the U.S. from 1969 to 1986 and were believed to have been exposed to Agent Orange residue. The planes had been used to spray millions of gallons of the chemical herbicide during the Vietnam War. “It’s great news,” said retired Tech. Sgt. Ed Kienle, 73, of Wilmington, Ohio, who worked on a C-123 plane as a flight mechanic from 1972 to 1980. Kienle, who developed skin cancer, respiratory problems and has indications
of prostate cancer, said he was already lining up the paperwork to receive compensation, having previously been turned down by the VA. He is among reservists in the “Buckeye Wing” stationed in Ohio who pushed for C-123 benefits. “I’m going to be calling up all the guys this evening to celebrate,” Kienle said. It is the first time the VA has established a special category of Agent Orange exposure for troops who weren’t on the ground or didn’t serve on inland waterways in Vietnam. Still, citing weaker scientific evidence, the VA said it will not cover roughly 200,000 “Blue Water” veterans who say they were exposed to Agent Orange while serving aboard deep-water naval vessels off Vietnam’s coast. An Institute of Medicine study
By DAN MORIARTY Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The City Council approved a special permit for the towing company selected by the Westfield Police Department, but added conditions to that permit which, if not satisfied, could lead to revocation of that permit. Jeremy Procon, the owner of Interstate Towing Inc., appeared at the City Council’s June 4 session to present details of his plan to establish a tow yard at 20 Clifton Street, the site of the former Michael’s Towing which lost the city’s towing contract and led to the new Interstate Towing pact. The council referred JAMES R. ADAMS the special permit peti- At-large Councilor tion to its License Committee. A condition of the contract awarded by the Police Department is that the contractor has to establish a tow yard in the city for the convenience of city residents. Interstate Towing has a tow yard in Chicopee and was negotiating with the owner of two parcels on Clifton Street to purchase or lease that property. The License Committee further discussed the special permit application and the establishment of a tow yard on Clifton Street with Procon prior to the regular City Council session. The committee then voted to give the special permit petition a 3-0 positive recommendation to its approval. The committee then brought the special permit application out during the regular meeting and sparked an extended debate amount the councilors. At-large Councilor James R. Adams argued that the deal to buy or lease the property at 20 Clifton Avenue has fallen apart and that Procon will not have the capacity to store up to 75 cars. “Interstate can’t store 75 cars, so if they can’t do that, we can’t approve the (special) permit,” Adams argued. “That requirement was taken out of the (Police Department’s) contract, so it’s up to us to put a number in the special permit.” Ward 4 Councilor Mary O’Connell argued that if the council failed to approve the special permit, Interstate would use the tow yard in Chicopee. “We have to approve this for the residents of the city who don’t want to have to go to Chicopee,” O’Connell said.
See Agent Orange, Page 3 See Towing, Page 3
Southwick’s Whalley Park officially open By HOPE E. TREMBLAY Staff Writer SOUTHWICK – Whalley Park officially opened this week. The Certificate of Occupancy was issued last week and the first soccer games were played this week. The park has been owned by the town for nearly three years and was set to open last year, but the punch list of items necessary to open was not complete until last week. “The last thing was the ADA compliance,” said Parks and Recreation Commissioner Daniel Call. The Commission is responsible for the park, which is the only true park owned by the town. Board of Selectmen Chairman Joseph Deedy said some handicap parking spaces had to be moved in order to be compliant. “That was taken care of, and it’s open,” he said. Call said the restrooms are not open due to need-
ed supplies and maintenance not in the budget. He said he hopes they will be open soon and other items, such as additional field lighting, will be done in the future. The 70-acre park, which includes 35 acres of recreational fields and 30 acres of conservation land, was donated to the town by John and Kathy Whalley. During a special Town Meeting in fall 2012, voters accepted the park from the Whalleys and approved using $1.2 million in Community Preservation funds to complete remaining items at the park, such as paving and lighting. Also approved were articles to accept a $100,000 gift from the Whalley family for maintenance of the park, and an article to allow the Whalleys to construct a pavilion at the park. Earlier this month John Whalley, a newly elected See Whalley Park, Page 3
SCHOOL STREET IS RE-OPENED!
e h T
COME ON DOWN!
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