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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
“A man’s errors are his portals of discovery.” — James Joyce
www.thewestfieldnews.com
VOL. 83 NO.143
FRIDAY, JUNE 20, 2014
75 cents
Lawmakers pass domestic worker bill By Peter Francis Staff Writer BOSTON — The Massachusetts House has given final approval to legislation creating a “bill of rights” for nannies, caregivers and other domestic workers by establishing labor standards and other worker protections. The bill approved Wednesday on a 12622 vote defines domestic workers as individuals who provide a range of in-home services like housekeeping, laundering, cooking and providing home companionship. The bill would also make clear that domestic workers are eligible for government services and benefits such as unemployment insurance, workers compensation and minimum wage protections. It would set rules for sleep, meal and rest periods, as well as requiring female domestic workers receive at least eight weeks maternity leave if they are full-time employees. The Senate unanimously approved the legislation last month. Gov. Deval Patrick must still sign the bill before it becomes law. “It was overwhelmingly approved See Lawmakers, Page 3
DONALD HUMASON JR.
Members of the Westfield City Council listen to a standing room only crowd during the public participation portion of last night’s meeting in Westfield City Hall. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
Council adopts amended 2015 budget By Dan Moriarty Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The City Council voted 11-0 last night to adopt its modified municipal budget, a spending document intended to lower, if not eliminate, a significant hike in the property tax rate next November. The budget approved was lower than the document presented to the council by Mayor Daniel M. Knapik. The Knapik budget of $131,959,521.35 contained $117,700,842 in the general funds and an additional $14,058,685 for the revenue generating departments. The City Council approved a general fund budget of $114,030,403.36 which included a cut of $3,232,772, roughly 25
percent or three months premium payments, from the city’s Health Insurance line item. The council members approved that cut Wednesday by a vote of 10-2 with the idea that it will give them greater flexibility in November when setting the tax rate and that if funding has to be returned to the health insurance accounts it is available in the city’s reserve accounts, such as stabilization. The last vote the Council made last night was to transfer $2,469,919.64 from the free cash account to stabilization to make that funding available at the start of the 2015 Fiscal Year on July 1, 2014. Had that funding remained in free cash it would not have
been available for appropriation until certified by the state Department of Revenue, typically in November or December. At-large Councilor David A. Flaherty said he had hoped for even deeper cuts in the budget to begin to position the city for the future. “I’m not at all happy about the long-term debt of the city,” Flaherty said. “I am going to vote for this budget tonight. I appreciate the progress and effort we’ve all made to help taxpayers in November or December. I’d like to thank and department heads and school officials for some of the best budget discussions we’ve had in a long time.”
Book solution approved
JOHN VELIS
Lawmakers working on sex abuse bill By Peter Francis Staff Writer BOSTON — Massachusetts House and Senate negotiators will begin work soon to hammer out a compromise bill designed extend the statute of limitations for victims of childhood sex abuse to file lawsuits. Yesterday the Senate approved a bill extending the time an individual can file a claim of sexual abuse from 3 years after the act occurs to 35 years, taking effect when the victim has reached 18 years old. On Wednesday, the House approved a bill extending by more than 30 years the statute of limitations for victims of childhood sex abuse to file lawsuits against their alleged attackers or the institutions that employed them. Both bills increase from three years to seven years the period in which a lawsuit can be filed after the recovery of repressed memories of childhood abuse. State Rep. John Lawn (D-Watertown) sponsored the bill and said it strikes a balance between the rights of victims and those of defendants. “This bill has been in the making for years, and I’m proud that the house has passed it,” said Rep. John Velis See Bill, Page 3
See 2015 Budget, Page 3
Technical High School for workers to install the detectors and found the management of Rocky’s hardware stores were willing to offer the needed detectors and supplies at a discounted cost. Gary Martineau, the lead instructor in the electrical wiring department at the vocational school, said that students in his program recently completed their 14th detector installation at the home of a senior resident on Riverside Drive as their school year draws to an end but said that the program will continue in the fall. “It’s going to be an ongoing thing” Egloff
By Hope E. Tremblay Staff Writer SOUTHWICK – Students taking AP U.S. History at Southwick-TollandGranville Regional High School this fall will benefit from a new textbook and online materials. The STGR School Committee this week approved the purchase of new textbooks due to a jump in AP enrollment. Teacher Alex Trzasko told the committee that 44 students have signed-up for the course, which is 19 more students than this year’s class. The problem, he said, is that the school does not have enough books for the new students and because a new edition is in the works, copies of their current book are hard to find. “The curriculum and test for AP U.S. History will change as of May of next year,” he said. “Our current publisher does not know when the new textbooks aligned with the curriculum will be available. They don’t have any copies of the current book.” Trzasko said he explored purchasing books through Amazon, but they were still limited and he didn’t want to invest in something that would quickly be out of date. Instead, Trzasko found a different publishing company that would supply enough textbooks for the class, then, it would allow the school to switch them
See Safer Seniors, Page 5
See Solution, Page 3
Deputy Fire Chief Patrick Egloff assists as Mike Brut, a junior at Westfield Vocational-Technical High School installs a smoke detector int eh bedroom of a senior citizen on Riverside Drive. (Photo by Carl E. Hartdegen)
Seniors safer due to grant By Carl E. Hartdegen Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The city’s senior citizens have an opportunity to get help with safety in their homes thanks to a Senior Safe grant offered by the Massachusetts Fire Marshal’s office. Deputy Fire Chief Patrick Egloff teamed up with Tina Gorman, the director of the city’s Council on Aging, and together they applied for a grant to allow them to install or replace smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in the homes of senior citizens. The duo turned to Westfield Vocational-