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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
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VOL. 86 NO. 75
“Nowhere are prejudices more mistaken for truth,
passion for reason and invective for documentation than in politics.”
— John Mason Brown
75 cents
FRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2017
Medical marijuana facility closer to reality By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD—Medical marijuana getting closer to being sold in Westfield was among the key decisions that were made during last night’s meeting of the city council’s legislative and ordinance subcommittee. City Advancement Officer Joe Mitchell requested that the subcommittee vote in favor of allowing Mayor Sullivan to sign a host site agreement with Heka Health, which would allow the medical marijuana dispensary to potentially open in the fall. “They’ve gone through all of the state processes,” Mitchell said. “One last component is the host agreement.” According to Mitchell, the host agreement would mean that the city will get three percent of the gross sales for the life of the business, as well as an additional one percent through an infrastructure agreement made between the two parties. The infrastructure agreement came after the dispensary’s site on Sgt. Dion Way required a sewer connection and the city could not afford to provide such. So, Mitchell said that Heka Health paid for the work but in the process, the road now needs pavement repairs. According to Mitchell, the one percent additional will go toward paving the entirety of Sgt. Dion Way, and once that is done the same percentage will go toward other road projects in the city.
More small bridge grant money for our area By GREG FITZPATRICK Correspondent SOUTHWICK – On Wednesday, the BakerPolito Administration held a ceremony at the Massachusetts State House in Boston regarding the $16 million that was awarded to 36 communities for the Municipal Small Bridge Program. Along with Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, Transportation Secretary and CEO Stephanie Pollack and Highway Administrator Thomas J. Tinlin announced the grants to all the cities and towns. Southwick DPW Director Randy Brown was in attendance for the ceremony and he believes the town could get up to $500,000 from this grant. Brown was pleased with the grant opportunities that the Baker-Polito Administration was able to provide money to communities like Southwick. “They all recognize the need for these types of funding opportunities for local towns,” said Brown. “Any means that they can help assist in See Bridge Grant, Page 3
Supreme Judicial hearing on Ashley St. school project to take place North side industrial on April 6 park proposed for Westfield
City advancement officer Joe Mitchell talks with city council’s legislative and ordinance subcommittee on the possibility of an industrial park on Cabot Road. (WNG file photo)
By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD— A proposed industrial park on Cabot Road was among the key decisions that were made during last night’s meeting of the city council’s legislative and ordinance subcommittee. The industrial park proposal came from City Advancement Officer Joe Mitchell, who suggested that they use the parcels of land located between Cabot Road and Turnpike Industrial Road to create a 66-acre industrial park, which Mitchell said would be the first of its size in western Massachusetts. “It’s high, it’s dry, it’s not over the aquifer, no wetland issues,” Mitchell said off the property. “We will gain revenue and create jobs.” Specifically, Mitchell requested that the city council vote to acquire the land and that they give him the ability to pre-permit the land with a grant from the state for $93,000. The land was originally set to become a landfill as early as the mid-1980s Mitchell said, but that project never came to fruition. From there, the land was held by the city’s department of health before the
department voted to give the land back to the city but the city council never voted to approve it. Mitchell said that the pre-permitting process would allow Sullivan’s office to “enter into a site readiness program,” which could allow the city to OK businesses to build on the land with less hassle, and opens the city up to additional grants for any traffic studies or otherwise that may need to occur around the property. According to Mitchell, the $93,000 grant would need to be paid back in full prior to 30 years, or if 30 years pass then there is nothing owed back to the state. Additionally, if there is a sale of the land within those 30 years, Mitchell said that the city would have to pay 15 percent of the profit that they make on the sale, if the sale is higher than the valuated cost of the perceived industrial park. “Total property valuation is $399,600, whatever we make over that we would pay 15 percent on,” Mitchell said. Mitchell asked the subcommittee to vote to recommend that Sullivan dispose of the Cabot Road property to move along with the plans.
Honey Pot Road speed addressed By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD—Concerns about the traffic speed on Honey Pot Road was among the key decisions made during last night’s meeting of the city council’s legislative and ordinance subcommittee. The subcommittee voted a positive recommendation to change the speed limit to 25 MPH on Honey Pot Road. This decision comes after residents have been voicing concerns about vehicles traveling at potentially high rates of speed along the winding residential road. These complaints have been made to members of city council, as well as to the city’s traffic commission, with the latter recently recommending the 25 MPH speed limit to city council. The commission also said that they will be setting up a traffic study to see how often and at what speed drivers are going on the road. “The residents on Honey Pot Road have really done well, coming with their own research,” Ward 2 city councilor and legislative and ordinance chairperson Ralph Figy, said.
By AMY PORTER Correspondent WESTFIELD – The Supreme Judicial Court hearing on the Ashley St. School and Cross St. playground projects, to determine whether the 1.37 acres of the playground adjacent to the former Ashley St. school property to be taken for the project is Article 97 protected land, will take place on Thursday, April 6 in Boston. The Office of the Attorney General wrote a letter on September 30, 2016, asking the Supreme Judicial Court to hear the appeal of Smith et al. versus The City of Westfield citing “a substantial public interest in reversing the Appeals Court’s decision and clarifying an ambiguity in the Court’s decision” about what public lands are protected by Article 97. The letter by the Attorney General’s office in September in support of the hearing focuses on the differing interpretations of Article 97 protection. See Ashley Street, Page 8
Westfield to receive $1.2 Million in Chapter 90 Funds BOSTON – Westfield State Representative John Velis joined his colleagues in the House of Representatives on Wednesday to pass legislation that authorizes $200 million for Chapter 90 funding to help municipalities complete road, bridge and infrastructure improvement projects. “Local aid funding like Chapter 90 is critical to our cities and towns,” says Velis. “Westfield is slated to receive over a million dollars to help our city fix and maintain our transportation infrastructure, including our roads.” The exact amount Westfield will receive, according to a list distributed by the Joint Committee on See Chapter 90 Funds, Page 3
PUBLIC NOTICE “Due to the expected bad weather this evening, this weekend’s Into The Arts Festival scheduled for Friday and Saturday at Westfield High School is being moved to next week, Friday April 7th & Saturday April 8th and to North Middle School.”
Granville Ambulance Association offering a safety benefit for residents By GREG FITZPATRICK Correspondent GRANVILLE – The Granville Ambulance Association is taking steps to aid their EMT’s and the entire community. Last week the Granville Fire Department announced that the ambulance association is back selling reflective address signs. According to Captain Josh Rutola, this sign project was initiated around 10 years. The purpose for the signs is to have a more visible and ambulance-friendly appearance at residences in case of
an emergency. All signs have a green reflective background with white reflective numbers, are 100% aluminum and measure 18 inches long by 6 inches wide. Customers can get the signs numbered in either horizontal or vertical and are $15 each. For the Granville Ambulance Association, it is important for residents to not only have the signs, but to have them in the correct spot. “We stress it’s very important to mount the sign where your driveway is, not where your mailbox is,” said Rutola.
Rutola added that some homes have their mailboxes across the street, and by having the reflective sign where the mailbox is, it could confuse the ambulance driver when trying to find the proper house. If anyone is interested in buying a sign, contact the Granville Fire Department at 413-357-8572. Even if the ambulance association begins to run out of signs, they will reorder more and continue the process. The preferred payment method is a check that can be made out to the Granville Ambulance Association.
The Granville Ambulance Association will be selling reflective signs to go on resident’s driveways or mailboxes, if they are located on their driveway. (Photo from Granville Fire Department)