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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014
See Charged, Page 3
75 cents
Truck exclusion sent to state
Stalking, intimidation charged By Carl E. Hartdegen Staff Writer WESTFIELD – A Springfield man has been held on $500 bail – twice – due, in part, to his “out of control anger” and “Explosive Disorder.” Lorenzo Solla, 22, of 295 Orange St., Springfield, appeared before Judge Philip A. Contant in Westfield District Court yesterday and was arraigned, in two cases, on charges of stalking, making an obscene phone call, intimidating a witness and criminal harassment. The charges arise from a failed relationship with a Westfield woman who complained to police in August that he had been harassing and threatening her. Sgt. Edward Murphy reports that the woman showed him text messages from the man “which made direct threats toward her and her new boyfriend.” Murphy found that one of about 24 text messages the woman showed him asked her to “bring her new boyfriend to job corps where he works to fight.” He also wrote, in a court document, that the victim showed him a posting on social networking website “referring to her as being sexually ‘Easy’”. The woman also showed Murphy “a picture message of Solla showing full frontal nudity. The victim told Murphy that “the picture message was offensive, repugnant, and she did not want or ask for the picture.” The stalking and obscene phone calls charges ensued and, about a month later, Murphy reports, he again spoke with the victim who said that she and her mother have received multiple calls and text messages from Solla. “Solla has asked, begged and demanded the charges be dropped”, Murphy reports, in text messages including “Bye snitch next time I hear from you the charges better be off” and “You want to lock me up then do so I’m NOT (obscene gerund deleted) SCARED.” Other messages were more like entreaties in which he wrote “take off the charges that’s all I ask and ill (sic) stay out of your (obscene gerund deleted) life” and “Take the charges off ill (sic) leave your alone” but, when the victim asked to be left alone he replied “I will when you take the charges of (sic).” In response to the messages and other phone contacts, Murphy filed a second case charging Solla with intimidation of a witness and criminal harassment. When Solla appeared in court yesterday, Contant imposed bail of $500 cash surety or $5,000 bond, in each case, which Sola did not post. In his stated reasons for ordering bail, Contant notes that Solla “admits having ‘Explosive
in education is to get experience out of ideas.” — George Santayana
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VOL. 83 NO. 226
“The great difficulty
Westfield Day Westfield’s own Kacey Bellamy, second from left, wearing her Silver Olympic medal, was a special guest during Westfield Day at the Big E Thursday. See additional photos Pages 4, 5. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
Zoning Board approves Elks lodge renovation By Dan Moriarty Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The Zoning Board of Appeals approved four special permit applications last night to allow residents to make improvements to their homes and to the Westfield Elks Lodge 1481 which is adding a handicap lift and associated handicap parking. The Elks requested a dimensional special permit seeking a side-property setback of no less than seven feet to allow construction of the lift, a storage shed and handicapped parking as the club renovates its building. ZBA Chairman Michael Parent said that “it is a plus that a club like this in Westfield is making a investment for the future of the club, when so many fraternal groups dying out.” ZBA member Martin Newman said the seven-foot setback is not uncommon in the Franklin and Washington Street area. “There are, in this particular neighbor-
hood, buildings much closer, one to two feet (apart),” Newman said. “Addition of handicap access to their building is a compelling reason to grant this special permit and allow them to modernize their facility, something we wish to encourage.” The ZBA also approved the site plan submitted as part of the application because the addition did not trigger a review by the Planning Board. The ZBA did ensure that all requirements of a site plan were included as a condition to the dimensional special permit and site plan approval. The ZBA also voted to approve dimensional special permits to three residents for proposed improvements to their homes and property. David J. Beliveau of 142 North Road was granted a special permit to construct a 24-by-24 foot accessory building no See Elks, Page 3
By Dan Moriarty Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The Traffic Commission reviewed an engineering report which will be submitted to the state Department of Transportation in support of the city’s Notre Dame Neighborhood Truck Exclusion request. MARK JOHN The city is trying to CAMEROTA CRESSOTTI divert heavy commercial through-traffic from the neighborhood to the east of North Elm Street and north of Union Street. Trucks making deliveries to residents and businesses in the neighborhood will still be allowed. Streets which will be included in the heavy commercial truck exclusion include the lower part of Notre Dame Street, Moseley Avenue, Woodmont, Dartmouth, Harvard, Westminster, Princeton and Columbia Street, as well as Columbia Place. “We voted to seek the truck exclusion,” Police Chief John Camerota, who serves as chairman of the Traffic Commission, said this morning. “and requested (City Engineer) Mark Cressotti to hire an engineering consultant to write the report which is required by the DOT to provide technical data it needs for its review.” “We didn’t see the need to make changes (at the Wednesday meeting) so we told Mark to send it out to the DOT,” Camerota said. The engineering study, and analysis of heavy commercial truck traffic through the neighborhood, was performed by Tighe & Bond of Southampton Road. Residents of that neighborhood have long complained that heavy trucks use their residential streets, which were never design to support that traffic, as a cut through to reach the North Elm Street Corridor, Routes 10 and 202 and the Massachusetts Turnpike. The proposed truck exclusion would prohibit commercial trucks from entering the neighborhood street from either the North Elm Street or Union Street sides. Camerota said that the exclusion, if approved by the DOT based on the engineering study, will then be sent to the City Council for inclusion in city ordinances. The city has to provide the heavy commercial trucks with an adequate alternative route. The city is slowly improving the major traffic corridors, upgrading downtown streets to improve See Truck Exclusion, Page 3
Schools, PD team up for Rachel’s Challenge By Peter Francis Staff Writer WESTFIELD – Westfield High School and Westfield Vocational Technical High School, in partnership with the Westfield Police Department, will be implementing a new bullying and violence abatement program this month called Rachel’s Challenge. Founded in 1999, the initiative is based on the life and writings of Rachel Joy Scott, the first victim of the Columbine school shootings in Columbine, Colorado. On Tuesday and Wednesday, presenters from the Rachel’s Challenge organization will visit Westfield High School and Westfield Vocational Technical High School to present Rachel’s Story. At the conclusion of these presentations 100 students from each school will receive “Friends of Rachel” training to better enable them to meet Rachel’s five challenges throughout the school year. “Although our high schools have not experienced the same hardships that others have, we believe it would be beneficial for our students to receive this training to address small problems before they have the chance to escalate into larger ones,” said Sgt. Eric Hall of the Westfield Police Department.
Westfield Elks Lodge 1481. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
See Challenge, Page 3
Water and sewer rates, driveway bylaw to be topic of hearing By Hope E. Tremblay Staff Writer SOUTHWICK – Department of Public Works Director Randy Brown requested this week that a warrant for water and sewer be placed on the Special Town Meeting agenda. Brown said the town’s contract with Springfield Water and Sewer is expiring and needs to be renewed
and he said it will cost more this year. “The rates have gone up substantially,” he told the Board of Selectmen. “We don’t have the funds to pay for that increase.” Brown said the rates went up 27 percent. Springfield water is used to supplement Southwick’s supply. “We need the agreement signed,”
he told selectmen. Brown said he would be asking Town Meeting voters to approve a transfer of approximately $60,000 from retained earnings to cover costs. During the Monday night selectmen meeting, Brown also updated the board on the driveway bylaw that will go to a vote at Special
Town Meeting. A separate common driveway bylaw will also be brought forth but Brown discussed only the general driveway bylaw. “These have already gone to legal counsel and have been reviewed,” said Brown. Board Chairman Russell Fox said changes were made at counsel suggestion and the draft before the
board was the revised, legal counsel approved version. Chief Administrative Officer Karl Stinehart said selectmen must look over the document. “The board needs to examine it and make a motion,” Stinehart said. Fox and Selectman Joseph Deedy approved the bylaw draft, which will now be discussed in a public hearing.