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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
www.thewestfieldnews.com MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014
VOL. 83 NO. 81
“Lying is done
with words and also with silence.” — Adrienne Rich
75 cents
Council considering business special permit
Broad Street fire Deputy Westfield Fire Chiefs Pat Kane Sr. and Patrick Egloff confer as they assess a fire at a loading dock at the commercial building at 66 South Broad St. after the responding firefighters extinguished the fire reported at 9:19 a.m. today. No injuries were reported in the fire which occurred at the building, apparently on the premises of one of the tenants in the building, J.C. Danczak Inc. (Photo by Carl E. Hartdegen)
Fatal crash nets penalties for driver By Carl E. Hartdegen Staff Writer SOUTHWICK – A town woman has been enjoined from operating a motor vehicle and placed on probation for seven years after pleading guilty to vehicular homicide charges following a fatal 2013 crash on Granville Road. Officer Bradford Fisk had responded to a report of a car crash in the early hours of Monday, Jan. 21, and had found “a gray colored vehicle over the embankment on the south side of the road, the
With some friends, enemies not needed
roof appeared to be caved in over the front compartment of the vehicle entrapping the front seated occupant(s).” In document filed in Westfield District Court, Fisk reports he found that the driver, Jillian Rolland, 22, of 7 Liberty Lane, was trapped in her seat but the front seat passenger, later determined to Haley N. Tierney, 22, of East Granby, Conn., “did not have a pulse nor was there any respiration present.” Fisk was able to help the passenger in the rear
seat, Jayme Barry, 22, of Simsbury, Conn., exit the 2002 Mazda and observed that she appeared to have “sustained a fractured arm and other nonlife threatening injuries in the crash.” Fisk reported that Rolland “did not speak to me, she could only move her head to answer” as he assured her that an ambulance would arrive soon. He noted that he was “very close to the face and mouth of See Fatal Crash, Page 3
House OKs hourly wage hike to $10.50
By Carl E. Hartdegen Staff Writer WESTFIELD – With some friends, enemies would be superfluous. A Southwick resident found he had one such friend Thursday evening when he awoke after drinking with his friend and found his friend, his car keys and his car gone. The man eventually told police that he had started drinking with a friend, Anthony R. Brochetti, 28, of 61 Butternut Road, Thursday morning and, in the afternoon, the two men returned to his trailer. The victim told Officer Brendan Irujo that he left Brochetti alone while he went out to get alcohol and after he returned his friend remained, even after his host fell asleep about 5 p.m. When the resident awoke about 9 p.m., he found his friend gone, along with his car. When he called the other man, he was told that Brochetti had taken it to a Southwick bar and he told the owner that if he wanted his vehicle back he would have to come get it. When the owner found the car at the bar, it was locked and the man was gone. When contacted, Brochetti initially said that he didn’t have the keys but eventually said they were somewhere See Friends, Page 3
By Peter Francis Staff Writer BOSTON — The Massachusetts House approved a bill Wednesday that would increase the state’s hourly minimum wage from $8 to $10.50 over the next two years. The legislation, which passed on a 123-24 vote, would also overhaul the state’s unemployment insurance system and provide basic work standards and protections for nannies and other domestic workers in the state. The vote was along party lines with most Democrats supporting the bill and most Republicans opposed. The Massachusetts Senate has already approved separate minimum wage and unemployment insurance bills. The Senate bill would increase the wage to $11 per hour over three years and link automatic future increases to the rate of inflation. The House bill doesn’t link the minimum wage to changes in inflation. The push to raise the minimum wage in Massachusetts comes as President Barack Obama calls for an increase in the federal minimum wage to $10.10 per hour. The House bill now heads to the Senate. Both chambers will need to agree on a compromise version before sending it to Gov. Deval Patrick, who has said he supports increasing the minimum wage. House Labor Committee Chairman Rep. Tom Conroy said raising the minimum wage in Massachusetts is long overdue. He also said the higher wage won’t make anyone wealthy. “At its core, a minimum wage bill is about fairness. It is about giving voice to those who for too long have not been heard,” the Wayland Democrat said, adding “this is a minimum wage, not a liv-
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to stay informed ing wage.” Both bills also would raise the minimum wage for workers who earn tips. The House bill would increase the minimum tipped wage from $2.63 per hour to $3.75 over three years. The Senate bill is more aggressive, increasing the minimum wage for tipped workers to half of the minimum wage for other workers — or up to $5.50 per hour over three years. Also possibly appearing on the November ballot is a question that would increase the minimum wage to $10.50 over two years and index future increases to inflation. The question is backed by labor groups. Massachusetts last increased the minimum wage in 2008. The House bill includes a requirement that the state minimum wage must always be at least 40 cents higher that the federal minimum wage, which is $7.25 per hour. Current law requires the state minimum wage always be at least 10 cents higher than the federal wage. The Senate bill would require the state wage always be at least 50 cents higher than the federal minimum. The House bill would also increase the minimum wage for farm workers to $8 an hour from the current rate of $1.60 an hour. During debate, the House adopted an amendment that would let cities and towns hire student lifeguards at the current minimum wage since See Minimum Wage, Page 3
By Dan Moriarty Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The City Council conducted a public hearing Thursday, April 3 on a special permit to allow the new owners of the former car dealership at 99 Springfield Road to convert the existing structure for other uses, including a fitness center. Rob Levesque of R. Levesque & Associates is representing Julie and Nabil Hannoush, who are also are seeking permits from the Planning Board and Conservation Commission to renovate the existing 26,450-square foot building. The Planning Board is currently conducting its own public hearing on petitions for a special permit, site plan and stormwater management plan to construct an additional 26,000 square feet of retail space on the 11.36-acre site at 99 Springfield Road. Levesque said that there are currently two other business located in the former Balise car dealership showroom and repair building which is located in a Business B zone. “The reuse of the existing structure includes Extra Innings, a batting cage and associated retail, and a café with a patio, both of which are allowed uses in that zone,” Levesque said. “The third use, a gym, Expert Fitness, doesn’t fit into any zoning. There was nothing specific in the ordinance, the place of assembly was the closest.” Levesque said this morning that the site plan, under review by the Planning Board, was originally for 32,480 square feet of new construction, but has been amended to 26,600 square feet because of new tenant requirements and to comply with the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) compensatory requirements. The retail space was reduced because a tenant – a bank – wants a drivethrough facility. Levesque said that the former display lot will be modified and provide 277 parking spaces. The ordinance requires a minimum of 196 spaces based on the proposed square footage of the retail complex. The site currently has two curb cuts for access and egress. Several members of the city council questioned Levesque about the increased volume of traffic the business will add to Route 20 (Springfield Road) and in particular, customers attempting to make left turns out of the site. Levesque said the applicants are providing the state Department of Transportation (DOT) with traffic information and that the agency will decide if the applicants will have to install a traffic signal. The Planning Board would amend the site plan if the DOT mandates installation of a traffic control signal. “The gym will not trigger the need for a traffic light,” Levesque said, “but with the additional retail, the Planning Board may make it a condition of their special permit to require DOT review which could require us to install a traffic light.” Council President Brent B. Bean II attempted to focus the discussion on the special permit for a place of assembly and not on the traffic issue, which falls within the purview of the Planning Board and DOT.
CRC getting ready for boating season By Hope E. Tremblay Staff Writer SOUTHWICK – Spring is finally here, and for many residents, that means getting boats ready for the water. The Citizens Restoring Congamond (CRC) is kicking off boating season with its first meeting of the year tomorrow at Crabby Joe’s. CRC Vice President Deb Herath said the group’s mission continues to be to preserve, protect, maintain and enhance the environmental, aesthetic, recreational and economic values and to promote watershed management of the Congamond Lakes and to provide education. “The CRC’s mission is basically to keep the Congamond Lakes healthy,”
Herath said. “Through membership and fundraisers, we contribute to the treatments of the lakes.” The group is also raising funds to restore Babb’s Park, the site of a summer concert series hosted by the CRC. “We’re trying to keep that park open to the communities of Southwick and Suffield and have it be a safe, fun place for children and families,” Herath said. The CRC is seeking members, at a cost of $25 in dues per family, to help promote the lakes. Herath said while many members are lake area residents, membership is not limited to those on the lakes. “Everyone with an interest in the lakes is welcome,” Herath said. “We have people who come as far as New London (Conn.) to enjoy the lakes.”
Members participate in discussions about the lakes and are eligible to become officers, as well as vote on officers. Members also participate in the annual CRC Boat Parade. The CRC lists the following as its objectives: Encourage community involvement through volunteerism; Promote educational initiatives; Promote excellence in water quality standards; Promote sound watershed ecology; Promote the control of nuisance aquatic species; Promote water and boating safety; Interface with local, state and federal governmental bodies to facilitate financial support and to encourage continual process improvements in environmental regulations pertaining to lake management; and to provide a
unified voice for the benefit of the Congamond Lakes. Herath said Harbor Master and Police Chief David Ricardi will speak to the membership this year about boating safety at a future meeting, and other speakers and events are planned. The main focus of the meeting tomorrow will be the budget. The CRC is registered with, and has received a certificate of appreciation from, the Federal Environmental Protection Agency in recognition of it’s commitment to the protection and restoration of the nations water source. It has also won three times the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection Green Circle Award. CRC has testified to the Connecticut legislature in support of
funding to help clean up the lakes. The CRC is a member of COLAP (Mass. Congress of Lakes and Ponds), LAPA West (Lakes & Ponds Association of Western Mass.) and the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, and is a member of the Southwick Association of Businesses and the Suffield Chamber of Commerce. Herath said the CRC also supports canal restoration. “We want to keep the lake outlets flowing,” she said. Herath hopes anyone interested in the lakes will attend the meeting tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. to help keep the lakes healthy. “There’s nothing finer than an afternoon on the lake,” said Herath.