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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
“All fantasy should have a solid base in reality.” — MAX BEERBOHM
www.thewestfieldnews.com VOL. 86 NO. 83
75 cents
MONDAY, APRIL 10, 2017
City Council discusses proposed industrial park By AMY PORTER Correspondent WESTFIELD – At Thursday’s City Council meeting, the two motions regarding the plan to turn 66 acres off Cabot Road owned by the city into an industrial park engendered one of the longer discussions of the meeting. Ward 6 Councilor William Onyski raised the question by saying the Legislative & Ordinance Committee recommended 3-0 to grant an order transferring custody and management of the 66 acres on Cabot Road from the Board of Health department, which had originally planned to install a landfill there. The order also requested the authority to dispose of the property in according with Massachusetts Law Chapter 30B, and the mayor be authorized to sign any and all documents necessary to effectuate and disposition. Ward 1 Councilor Mary Ann Babinski questioned the last part of the order, and made a motion to amend and remove the portion
which stated “the mayor be authorized to sign any and all documents necessary to effectuate and disposition.” “I don’t understand the second part of it,” Babinski said. At-large Councilor Flaherty agreed that he was leery about giving carte blanche permission to scrap or surplus the land. “We have all imagined a technology park there,” Flaherty said. He recommended adding to the motion, “for the City of Westfield to create an office park.” Babinski said the neighbors had been promised smaller business lots zoned for Industrial A, and also buffers. Ward 2 Councilor Ralph J. Figy, said at the L&O meeting city advancement officer Joseph B. Mitchell had diagrams for parcels for an industrial park. Figy said the picture would be clearer in the second agenda item referring to the Cabot Road property, which asked for a resolution in support of the Commonwealth
Site Readiness program administered by the Massachusetts Development Finance Agency. Mitchell said he had shown them a possible layout. “This is for getting permitting done. The city can get a grant for 30 years. That’s all, nothing is laid out,” he said. After the meeting, Mitchell said he had shown the L&O Committee drawings of plans made by MassWest in 2007, and also plans by Tighe and Bond from 2012 requested under Mitchell’s predecessor, Jeff Daley. Daley had also been interested in developing the land, but Mitchell said there was no money for permitting at the time. Mitchell said the plans included a generous wooded buffer between the property and the neighbors. He said the former plans could be used as a starting point for the project. Onyski said there will be consideration by the Planning Board as to what goes in the proposed park. He said the second motion was a resolution to work with the state on a permit-
ting process to allow businesses to come in quickly. “I don’t feel we can stop progress,” he said. “We have to be careful not to handcuff the development department in this process,” added At-large Councilor John J. Beltrandi, III. “I would like to see a framework, or a mechanism for us to be agents in the future,” said Flaherty. Figy said that the city paid $2.2 million for the property, which is now sitting idle. “We have a budget coming up that is challenging. I’m not one to think we as the City Council should be the defining body. I really think we need to move forward. We need additional revenues,” he said. “I agree. I’d like to commit to putting in the line for reassuring wording,” said Ward 4 Councilor Mary O’Connell, a member of the See Industrial Park, Page 3
Nurses Provide Valuable Service at Senior Center By LORI SZEPELAK Correspondent WESTFIELD-“You saved my life.” For Toni Bryda, R.N., his years of nursing experience was a lifesaver for one city gentleman recently who didn’t feel well while visiting the Westfield Senior Center. Bryda and Mary Ellen Asher, R.N., both employed by Mercy Home Care, a member of Trinity Health, staff the nursing office
KAYLA R. BOLIO
Ideas for reuse of St. Thomas church in Huntington were among items discussed at the first open house in November. (Photo by Amy Porter)
CPC votes on project regarding Congamond Lake By GREG FITZPATRICK Correspondent SOUTHWICK – At last Thursday’s meeting, the CPC (Community Preservation Committee) took a vote regarding use of $150,000 of funds for engineering and design permitting for canal dredging near South Pond on Congamond Lake. The vote was 7-1 against the proposal. According to DPW Engineer and Lake Management Committee Chairman Dick Grannells, the canal is the only viable outlet for Congamond See CPC, Page 3
DEREK W. WEBB
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY WESTFIELD POLICE DEPARTMENT
See Nurses, Page 5
Tina Gorman, director of the Westfield Council on Aging/ Westfield Senior Center, discusses plans on Thursday morning for the upcoming Senior Options 2017 event with Mary Ellen Asher, R.N., of Mercy Home Care, in the nursing office.
MATTHEW T. DANISH
Open house for hilltowns economic strategy Wednesday By AMY PORTER Correspondent HUNTINGTON – The Hilltown Collaborative, comprised of the communities of Russell, Huntington, Montgomery, Blandford, Chester, and Middlefield, is preparing an Economic Development Strategy that will outline recommendations to increase tourism and business development in the six towns. Residents and business owners are invited to attend an open house on Wednesday, April 12, in Stanton Hall at 24 Russell Road in Huntington. This event will build on feedback and information gathered during the first open house held in November 2016. “This open house will be different than the first. The Steering Committee took the information collected during the first open house and stakeholder interviews and used it to See Hilltowns, Page 3
Three arrested on drug charges over weekend By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD–The city’s police department reported that three people were arrested on Saturday on several drug charges, as part of an ongoing investigation by the Westfield Police Detective Bureau. According to Westfield Police Capt. Michael McCabe, Kayla R. Bolio, 24, Matthew T. Danish, 31, and Derek W. Webb, 25, all of Westfield, were arrested following police stopping the vehicle “based on an ongoing narcotics investigation,” which first occurred around 6:45 p.m. on April 8, according to police logs. According to police, the vehicle had allegedly fled the scene of the initial stop, and in the process had allegedly struck another police vehicle arriving to the scene. Police also reported that the vehicle that was allegedly used by the three was previously reported stolen. According to McCabe, the police vehicle that was struck was an unmarked police vehicle with its lights activated. Police reported that the vehicle that Bolio, Danish and Webb were allegedly in had reportedly left the scene, traveling on Meadow Street. There was another vehicle stopped in the roadway according to police, and the vehicle that allegedly left the scene drove around that vehicle, and in the process struck the right side of the unmarked police vehicle that was in the opposite travel lane. Police arrested the three and charged each with the following: Bolio was charged with possession of class B drug, possession to distribute class A drug, use of motor vehicle without authority, distribute class A drug, distribute class B drug, obstruction of justice, possession of additional class B drug, conspiracy to violate drug law Chicopee, conspiracy to violate drug law Westfield, possession to distribute class B drug; for Danish, possession of class B drug, fail to stop for police, marked lanes violation, reckless operation of a motor vehicle, conspiracy to violate drug law Chicopee, conspiracy to violate drug law Westfield and possession of class A drug; for Webb, use of motor vehicle without authority, possession to distribute class A drug, distribute class A drug, distribute class B drug, conspiracy to violate drug law, possession to distribute class B drug. Webb also had two warrants for his arrest.
Mr. Westfield crowned
Emmett Witherspoon, representing Lammers Hall, being crowned as WSU’s 2017 Mr. Westfield. (submitted photo)
By PETER CURRIER Intern, WSU ’17 WESTFIELD – Westfield State University’s 6th annual Mr. Westfield charity pageant was held on Sunday at the university’s Dever stage. Eight contestants performed talents, showed off their outfit of choice, and answered questions so that one of them could be named Mr.Westfield. Emmett Witherspoon, a junior representing Lammers Hall, was named Mr. Westfield 2017 at the show’s conclusion. He performed Tasha Cobb’s “For Your Glory” and Mary Mary’s “God In Me” as his talent and dressed
up as a pregnant Beyoncé for his celebrity impression. “It was totally unexpected when they called out my name,” says Witherspoon, “During the last few days preparing for the show I felt that I was getting out of place and felt unprepared when it came to preparing for both my celebrity impressions and talent.” Before Witherspoon was revealed as the winner, it was announced that this year’s organizers and contestants had raised over $10,000 for the Make-AWish Foundation of Massachusetts and See Mr. Westfield, Page 5
Andrew Morin announcing that contestants had raised over $10,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. (submitted photo)