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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
www.thewestfieldnews.com VOL. 85 NO. 255
The Westfield News will run its masthead in pink, in recognition of October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2016
Council examines becoming a Green Community By AMY PORTER Correspondent WESTFIELD – Following a lengthy discussion Wednesday evening, the City Council passed two of the five criteria that will enable Westfield to become a state-designated “Green Community.” 2016-17-westfield-city-council Ward 6 Councilor William Onyski made a motion for the adoption of the stretch code for the building department. He said that its passage would make Westfield eligible to receive $250,000
the first year from the state, and be eligible for another $250,000 in its second year. He also said that the city will have the ability to rescind it after one or two years. “We’re not stuck with it,” he said. Onyski said the stretch energy code, which requires new construction to reduce lifecycle energy costs, will cost $1000 to $2,000 more per building, but that will be offset to some extent by savings. He said the Council already discussed taking some of the $250,000 award to give back to builders, which he
would like to see happen. Ward 3 Councilor Andrew K. Surprise asked At-large Councilor Daniel Knapik, state director of the Green Communities Division, where the money would come from. Knapik said that funds would come from power companies’ bids in carbon allowance auctions, and also from penalties paid by retail electric suppliers that go into a trust fund for clean energy. He Westfield Ward 3 City Councilor Andrew Surprise See Green Community, Page 3
CINDY HARRIS Lt. gov. Karyn Polito speaks to the crowd at the Western Massachusetts Hospital tour.
Westfield opens new addiction treatment unit By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD—A new 30-bed unit for women with substance abuse issues officially opened at Western Massachusetts Hospital yesterday, and city and state officials were given their first glimpses into the finished site. The unit is part of the Gandara Esperanza women’s transitional support services program, which aims to provide short-term residential care for those battling addiction. The unit was created in conjunction with the state’s continuing plan to combat the opioid crisis. The site, which first opened to patients in August, has already been used to treat more than 65 women. This event though, marked its first public display. “These beds will become temporary homes for people who truly need it and who truly need our support,” Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito said at the event yesterday. “They need a lot of love, a lot of care, and you will bring that through your treatment here.” The origin of the unit, as well as similar units built in the Taunton and Shattuck State Hospitals, came from the opioid legislation that Gov. Baker signed in March to help combat the crisis that was hitting multiple communities, including Westfield. “In my second month in office we had three people in the community die from overdoses and that’s something you can’t prepare for,” Westfield mayor
STEVE DONDLEY
RALPH FIGY
City Council Addresses Ballot Question 2 WESTFIELD – Ward 2 Councilor Ralph Figy and At-Large Councilor Stephen Dondley made a motion to have the City Council endorse the Question 2 resolution that was passed unanimously by the School Committee at their Oct. 1 meeting. “I’m very opposed to telling people how to vote. In Westfield, we have a track record of not voting (on issues like this). It is not our role to tell people how to vote,” Flaherty said. “The consensus was the Council should vote on local matters. It should be up to the people to decide whether to lift the cap on charter schools,” Allie said. “We all have different opinions. By the way, we don’t have any minutes saying the School Committee
voted on it. We also don’t have anything in front of us to vote on,” said O’Connell. “The School Committee did pass it October 1, 9-0, along with another 150 School Committees across the state at this point. We can’t tell anybody what to do, we’re telling our constituents what we think,” Dondley responded, adding that this is a very local issue. He said that according to Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski , the district is losing $160,000 per year out of the school budget. Dondley suggested sending the motion to the L&O committee for discussion. See Question 2, Page 8
Westfield Police respond to memorial convoy comments and concerns
See Treatment Unit, Page 8
A two-bed room at the new unit at Western Massachusetts Hospital.
(Photo by
Marc St. Onge)
MICHAEL MCCABE Westfield Police Capt.
By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD–City Police have sought to clarify information and comments surrounding the memorial convoy for Justin Messier that occurred Wednesday. Following the memorial convoy for Messier, comments surfaced on Facebook and to a news agency of the event being perceived as a white supremacist rally. Additionally, comments surfaced regarding the police’s refusal to assist the convoy, which was deemed inaccurate by Westfield Police Capt. Michael McCabe. “The Westfield Police Department did not refuse to help the people on Little River Road,” McCabe said. The convoy left from the Super
Phipp’s Liquors parking lot, which nearly intersects with Little River Road, and traveled to West Springfield, along the way stopping at Toomey O’Brien’s Funeral Home in West Springfield, then at an unnamed bar, according to police. McCabe said that after deliberation, he decided to decline the request to assist the convoy for multiple reasons, including no request from the family for an escort and that the convoy would be going to West Springfield, which is out of the Westfield Police’s jurisdiction. “If the Messier family asked me to assist and had a plan, including number of vehicles and people, I would have considered further,” See Convoy Concerns, Page 8
Third debate leaves WSU students and faculty disenchanted By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD—After the third presidential debate, many aspects of the candidates have become solidified, but so have voters. WSU Logo Westfield State University held a watch party for the third and final presidential debate, hosted by political science professor Dr. David Smailes and communications professor Thomas Gardner. The turnout to the watch party didn’t meet expectations, but it seems that the debate didn’t either.
“I don’t think this debate will move much of the numbers, it seemed like a greatest hits of the previous debates, really,” Smailes said. “The beginning of the debate was pretty promising,” he said. “Chris Wallace kept them focused on the issues, [Hillary] Clinton and [Donald] Trump were direct on the issues—the beginning of the debate was what you hope a debate would be. “But then the wheels sort of came off the bus.” Smailes said that the most recent debate stayed in line with the previ-
ous two debates, showing nothing new from either candidate, especially Trump. “Had Trump stayed more focused on those issues he would have had a much better night, but that seems to be the pattern of the debates, he seems to be redirected easily,” he said. Smailes said that this is partially due to Trump’s inexperience. “I think she was vulnerable and a better candidate would have gone against her,” Smailes said. Instead, Trump once again made the debate about his own views, even
interrupting Wallace while he questioned Clinton directly about a variety of scandals and redirecting the criticism toward himself. Additionally, when asked seemingly simple-to-answer questions, such as if he would accept the election results, he appeared to have bumbled the response, which has led to what has dominated the headlines postdebate—that Trump may not accept the election results if he loses. “The problem is, the headline See Disenchanted, Page 8
PROF. DAVID SMAILES Westfield State University