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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
www.thewestfieldnews.com VOL. 85 NO. 249
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2016
The Westfield News will run its masthead in pink, in recognition of October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
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Fire sprinkler project completed at Southwick Public Library
The line outside of Moe’s just before its opening. (Photo by Lynn Boscher)
Moe’s opens in Westfield with line out the door By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD–Did somebody order a burrito “steak” out? Moe’s Southwest Grill opened its doors in Westfield yesterday at 301 East Main Street, to a crowd of hungry individuals who also hoped to cash in on an offer of free burritos for a year. The free burritos were given to the first 25 customers. Some skipped work or class for the free burritos, others arrived in the early morning hours for the overstuffed food item, while a brave and hungry few camped out the night. “We set up a tent and camped out, first and second in line,” Mike Oxbig, 20, of Southwick said about himself and friend Jeff Dunham, 33, also of Southwick.
A photo of the tent in front of Moe’s, submitted to The Westfield News.
By GREG FITZPATRICK Correspondent SOUTHWICK – The fire sprinkler project at the Southwick Public Library has been officially completed. The project was finished on Sept. 30 and the library officially opened back up to the public on Oct. 11. The project started on July 12. The cause of the project was due to a failing fire sprinkler system that the library had. The piping was too thin and caused leaks in the ceiling that have been occurring for the last three or four years. Cogswell Sprinkler Co. out of Worcester contracted the project and put in a whole new fire sprinkler system. While the budget for Cogswell was initially estimated The Southwick Public Library offianywhere from $130,000 to cially opened back up on Oct. 11 $140,000, the actual cost of the after the fire sprinkler project was project ended up being just around completed. (Photo by Greg Fitzpatrick) $118,000. The main installment that Cogswell did was replacing the library’s current dry system with a wet See SPL, Page 3
Baystate Noble staff shower appreciation on retiring pastoral care volunteer State Rep. John Velis tries to decide what to have for lunch (Photo by photographer Lynn Boscher)
Oxbig and Dunham were joined by a third person, Kristina Love, 29, of Westfield, who also joined them on the camp-out “steak” out. The three shared the same tent with mixed results, all in order to be guaranteed 52 free burritos each, one for each week of the year. And for Love, the experience wasn’t even for food that she has had before. She said that she’s had Mexican food and enjoyed it, but never a Moe’s burrito. Dunham said that he heard through Facebook about the free burritos for a year and decided to arrive the night before simply because the food is good and plentiful, he said. Others weren’t as die-hard for burritos as the three campers, but still made sacrifices to make certain that they were given the shot at the free food. “I’m missing class right now but I know I’m going to spend a lot of money here,” Nick Zaporozhchenko, 18, of Springfield said. “I got here at 4 a.m. and there were already 10 other people here at that time.” The Moe’s in Westfield is the third opened in Western Massachusetts, joining locations in Northampton and Hadley. The Westfield location has great appeal for the franchise, where college students–the restaurant’s main clients–reside nearby. “Moe’s is very popular with family and high school and college students, and it just
A Night of Light Fundraiser Relocates By LORI SZEPELAK Correspondent WEST SPRINGFIELD-The Green at Storrowton Village on the grounds of the Eastern States Exposition will be aglow with luminaria bags on Nov. 17 as the fall fundraiser for the CHD Cancer House of Hope, A Night of Light, moves to a new location. The annual event, previously conducted at the Genesis See Night of Light, Page 8
By AMY PORTER Correspondent WESTFIELD – On Thursday afternoon, Baystate Noble volunteers, staff and administrators met in Conference Room A to honor Jack Wolfe, a volunteer and founder of the pastoral care program at the hospital, on his last day on the job after 12 years. One by one, as people arrived and gave Jack a hug, similar sentiments were expressed around the room. “He was always available Retiring pastoral care volunteer Jack night and day. You can call Wolfe and Baystate Noble president him in the middle of the night Ronald Bryant at a reception in and he’ll come and stay with Wolfe’s honor on Thursday. (Photo by patients, sometimes to the end. Lynn F. Boscher) That’s his calling,” said switchboard operator Nancy Longey, adding, “I think he’s really going to miss everyone here, too.” “He volunteers 40-60 hours of his week, of his own time. He’s come in the middle of the night,” said Sandra Louder, volunteer coordinator. Former Baystate Medical director Frank Horrigan said he joined Wolfe on pastoral care after he retired. “One of the most dedicated Christian people I’ve ever met. He’s certainly an inspiration to all of us,” Horrigan said. “He’s had a heart for the job for years,” echoed current pastoral care See Wolfe, Page 8
See Welcome to Moe’s, Page 5
Body discovered at Walmart parking lot By GREG FITZPATRICK Correspondent WESTFIELD – A body has been discovered in the Walmart parking lot at around 10:15 a.m. on Thursday. Walmart employees originally reported on the death as an employee found the person in a vehicle in the Walmart parking lot. Westfield Police arrived to the scene and the See Walmart Body, Page 8
Interim management chosen for Barnes By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD—In order to bridge the gap between managers, the city has appointed a temporary management firm to oversee Barnes Municipal Airport. The city brought in AvPORTS, a Dulles, Virginia-based airport management company, to perform the tasks of the vacant airport manager position. They will be in the position until the airport selects a new manager, which Mayor Brian Sullivan estimated would be in midNovember at the earliest. See Barnes, Page 3