Search for The Westfield News
WEATHER TONIGHT
Increasing clouds. Low of 40.
The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
www.thewestfieldnews.com
VOL. 83 NO. 238
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2014
See Wellness, Page 3
Michael Noble, right, of College Highway in Southwick, presents photographic evidence of water damage to his property to members of the Southwick Planning Board Tuesday evening. Noble and another neighbor living close to the new 7-acre solar farm located near the Southwick Big Y were requesting additional drainage parameters be installed by the project owner to help protect their property from stormwater runoff. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
Modifications made to Southwick solar project By Hope E. Tremblay Staff Writer SOUTHWICK – Two residents of College Highway hope additional measures proposed by the engineer of a solar project behind thair homes will keep water from ruining their property. Michael Noble and Martha Baillargeon both experienced damage following an August rainstorm when water flowed from the solar project into their yards. Baillargeon’s gravel driveway was almost completely washed out and Noble’s backyard was ruined. Baillargeon’s driveway was pushed back into place the next day but she has since discovered damage to her septic system’s leech field. Noble said his backyard was virtually unusable following the damage, and both residents attended a walk-through of the solar project last week and a Southwick Planning Board meeting this week. Engineer Matt Puntin of RGS Design offered a two-fold solution. To combat
Baillargeon’s concerns, he said a trench included in the original design would be extended to 240 feet, nearly double the originally proposed length. The trench was designed to slow down water in the event of a major rainfall. Puntin said a swale located behind Noble’s home would also be extended an additional 20 feet, which exceeds the width of Noble’s property. Puntin said another existing swale would be modified to help slow down water and divert it away from Noble’s property. “It’s at a 90-degree angle now and I want to bring it to a 45-degree angle,” Puntin said. Changing the angle should help slow water flow. Right now, he said, during a heavy rain like the one in August, water skips right over the swale because of the sharp angle. “We plan on starting this Friday, Oct. 10,” said Puntin. “We estimate it will be about $20,000 for this work and will See Solar Project, Page 3
WSAA celebrates Hispanic Heritage By Peter Francis Staff Writer WESTFIELD – When speaking with Will Rodriguez on the phone, you can hear the enthusiasm in his voice when the topic of conversation turns to the organization he has devoted so much of his life to. The President of the
but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth.” — Niels Bohr
75 cents
Preservation Board seeks to preserve funding
New STGRS wellness policy discussed By Hope E. Tremblay Staff Writer SOUTHWICK – The SouthwickTolland-Granville Regional Schools are moving toward adopting a wellness policy. Superintendent Dr. John Barry told the school committee this week that the DR. JOHN new policy would BARRY mean big changes when it comes to food in the schools . “You can’t do fundraisers that involve chocolate chip cookies anymore,” Barry said. At least, not on campus. When asked by the student representative to the committee about the class Valentines Day candy gram event – one of the largest fundraisers of the year – Barry said “can you find a way to do it outside of school? That’s what you have to figure out.” Committee member Jeffrey Houle asked Barry what was driving the policy. “State initiatives and allergies,” he replied. “I don’t think we have a choice. This represents a change in practices.” Barry said many events and celebrations in the schools center around food. The wellness policy would change that and prohibit parents from providing items such as cupcakes for student birthdays. “Maybe non-food celebrations have to happen in the future,” said Barry. Houle said the language in the draft policy states the changes would be across the district.
“The opposite of a fact is falsehood,
Westfield Spanish American Association, Rodriguez has seen the WSAA grow from only 15 members to around 50 in its two decades in the Whip City and he is proud of all the WSAA has done to help the city’s small, vibrant Hispanic community. Recently the organization celebrated national Hispanic
Heritage Month by moving into new offices on 52 Court Street and hosted an open house to ring in a new era in their history. “I love it, I love it. It’s all about location,” said Rodriguez of the WSAA’s new digs across from City Hall. “We’ll be raising the Puerto Rican flag on
Mayor Dan Knapik (right) had the honor of raising the Puerto Rico flag on one of the flagpoles in front of City Hall last year. (Submitted photo)
November 16 and we’re going to have a big event going on at the YMCA afterwards.” Besides promoting Latino culture in the city, the organization is active in supporting the Hispanic youth and elderly residents of Westfield. “We’ve raised over $55,000 now, through successful golf tournaments every July that have also been going on for 20 years,” said Rodriguez, adding that next year’s tournament will be followed by a gala in the evening. “We don’t have a big Hispanic community, but the community in Westfield is diverse,” he said. “We get along quite well and a lot of us like to keep our culture and educate and learn from our cultures.” Rodriguez stated that aiding both kids and recent immigrants to the city is a priority for the WSAA. “A lot of people who come from outside of the community, they don’t know where to go for any type of services and that’s where we want to be useful,” he said. “We also have our emphasis on Latino youths, as we’ve given college students money but we also want to give money to non-college students who want to get a trade or a vocation.” See WSAA, Page 3
By Dan Moriarty Staff Writer WESTFIELD – Members of the Community Preservation Committee last night discussed its policy of funding projects with a goal of extending its ability to provide funding for future projects. The board has recently approved funding for major projects, with the caveat that the appropriation, when approved by the City Council, be spread over multiple years through municipal financing mechanisms, such as bonds. That discussion was initiated during review of a funding increase requested for Hanger II at Barnes Regional Airport, which will be a total commitment of nearly $500,000 from the Community Preservation Act account. Board members said they would MARY L. want that appropriation spread over three years at about $166,000 a year O’CONNELL which would allow the committee to consider other funding requests. CPC member Vincent Olinski, a Park & Recreation Commissioner who has served on the CPC since its inception, said that “historically we really tried to keep 50 percent of the funds available so if a project came up we could consider funding it. “But we never had the kind of projects that have come up over the past two years,” Olinski said. “In the past we wanted projects with matching funds, now we’re getting big dollar projects that are 100 percent funded with CPA money. Maybe we should identify a reserve cap.” Ward 4 Councilor Mary O’Connell said she is concerned with the funding and type of projects receiving See Preservation, Page 3
Committee hikes historic hangar preservation funding By Dan Moriarty Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The Community Preservation Committee voted last night to increase funding to preserve a hangar at Barnes Regional Airport which both the city’s Historical Commission and the state have deemed to be of historic significance. JOE The committee voted 6-1 to MITCHELL increase funding from the original estimate of $470,000 to $498,000 based upon the assessment of the protect engineering and archetural consultant, Reinhardt Associates, Inc., of Agawam. City Advancement Officer Joe Mitchell said that Reinhardt reports the work, which has to conform to the standards of the Secretary of the Interior, will preserve the envelope of the historic structure. The 10,000-square-foot hangar was built in 1939 with a brick, wood and steel structure that fell into disrepair in the 1970s when the original facade was covered with aluminum siding. Mitchell said the rehabilitation plan is to repair the “envelope” of the structure and restore it to its original appearance. The Airport Commission has endorsed the reuse of the hangar for the Westfield Vocational Technical High School aviation technology program. Mitchell said the goal is to begin construction this spring and have the hangar ready for students either in the fall of 2016 or by January of 2017, noting that freshmen at WVTHS spend the first part of the school year attending all of the shops before making a choice as to which shop they intend to pursue. Much of the discussion among committee members was how to present the financing package to Mayor Daniel M. Knapik and the City Council. The clear desire of the committee majority was that the $498,000 should be spread over three years. “I really don’t want to put all of our revenue into one See Funding, Page 3