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The Westfield News
VOL. 83 NO.186
Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
A Ford Windstar van traveling westbound caught fire in the Blandford Plaza on the Massachusetts Turnpike Saturday morning. (Source: www. google.com/maps)
for in them lies joy denied to men grown wise.”
— Edgar A. Guest
www.thewestfieldnews.com MONDAY, AUGUST 11, 2014
Car fire on pike plaza put out By Peter Francis Staff Writer BLANDFORD – A Ford Windstar van traveling westbound caught fire in the Blandford Plaza on the Massachusetts Turnpike Saturday morning. The blaze had fully engulfed the car when Westfield firefighters arrived first on the scene just before 7 a.m. With the aide of volunteer firefighters from Blandford, who were secondary on the scene, the Westfield firemen were able to put out the blaze shortly after their arrival, according to a media relations officer from the Massachusetts State Police Sunday. Incoming vehicles to the westbound plaza’s parking lot were rerouted to the truckstop area as firefighters combatted the blaze, which began at 6:38 a.m. according to Massachusetts State Police. The vehicle was owned by a 66-year old man from Dennis, who was uninjured in the fire. An official from the Westfield Fire Department who wasn’t present on the scene said that Blandford firefighters showed up and assisted Westfield firemen by filling up their water tanks to contain the blaze. The official stated that Westfield firefighters were on the scene for 40 minutes, but that they had the fire contained in less time than that. The cause of the blaze was undetermined.
“Keep your dreams,
75 cents
Belliveau bids BID adieu
Westfield Mayor Daniel Knapik, center, is doused with a bucket of ice-water by his wife Tricia as part of the Ice Bucket Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) Challenge in front of Westfield City Hall Saturday. Joining in the fundraising event are State Sen. Donald Humason, Jr., left and State Rep. John Velis, right. ALS is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
Knapik, Humason and Velis take an icy challenge By Hope E. Tremblay StafF Writer WESTFIELD – Mayor Daniel Knapik, state Sen. Donald Humason, and state Rep. John Velis accepted an icy challenge Saturday when buckets of freezing ice water were dumped on their heads on the steps of Westfield City Hall. The challenge – posed to Knapik Friday by Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse – is a social media phenomenon known as the Ice Bucket Challenge. The challenge is aimed at raising awareness and funds for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. The Ice Bucket Challenge was started by Pete Frates, a former Boston College baseball player diagnosed with ALS three years ago. Frates joined forces with another person with the disease and they challenged people to be doused with ice water within 24 hours or donate $100 to ALS. Once accepted, a person records the chilly challenge and posts the video on Facebook, then challenges three others to do the same. Knapik, Humason and Velis all not only accepted the challenge, but pledged donations to the cause as well. Knapik donned a Westfield Babe Ruth uniform borrowed from coach Frank Mochak in order to show his support for the local champs who are headed to the World Series in Florida. Velis wore
a Kevin J. Major Foundation shirt, a nod to the annual hockey tournament taking place that same day in honor of a young Westfield man who died two years ago in a drowning accident caused by an unknown heart defect. No stranger to cold waters, Humason said having the bucket of ice dumped on him on a hot summer day was a refreshing change from the Penguin Plunge he normally takes each January. Humason said ALS is a cause close to his heart and he was happy to douse himself with ice and water for the cause. “I was friends with Gov. Paul Cellucci, who fought this disease and raised awareness of ALS,” said Humason. “I will be making a donation in his name.” Velis was also aware of ALS because of Cellucci. Velis’ uncle and Cellucci were friends and Velis wanted to help spread awareness of the debilitating disease. “And, I don’t back down from a challenge,” he said. Velis said the widespread Ice Bucket Challenge is proof of the power of social media. Knapik challenged Agawam Mayor Richard Cohen, West Springfield Mayor Edward Sullivan, and Southwick Chief Administrative Officer Karl Stinehart to follow suit. Velis challenged his See Icy Challenge, Page 5
By Peter Francis Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The Executive Director of the city of Westfield’s Business Improvement District has resigned from her post. Maureen “Mo” Belliveau, who held the position with the organization since 2012, has resigned, a month before the BID’s planned dissoMAUREEN lution on September BELLIVEAU 12. The Westfield City Council voted to terminate the organization on July 6, voting 9-2 with one abstention, citing changes in the 1994 state law enabling property owners within a city’s business improvement district to opt out of the organization. A 2012 revision of the law made membership for property owners within a BID district compulsory, and mandated retroactive membership fees be paid. A small group of downtown property owners spoke out against the revision in the law, which led to the circulation of a petition that garnered the support of over half of the property owners within the BID district. This petition was then placed before the city council, leading to the dissolution of the organization, which sought to provide programs and services for city businesses that would create a “clean, attractive, safe, well See BID, Page 5
Noble Street closed WESTFIELD – Motorists who travel on Noble Street will be obliged to find an alternate route as the roadway will be closed. Police Capt. Michael McCabe reports that, starting at 7 a.m. this morning, the roadway will be closed as workers prepare for construction in the area. He said that the road will be closed during the day for at least three days but reports that the street will reopen each day at 3 p.m. when contractors stop work for the day. Officers will be on duty at the intersections of Noble Street with McKinley Terrace and South Street to assist Noble Street residents and motorists with a legitimate need to get to the street.
Rotary rider Cynthia “Tink” Hartdegen (right), the president of the Rotary Club of Westfield, escorts Ipswich Rotarian Keith Harris (second from right) and his entourage as he passes though the Whip City on his coast-tocoast ride to raise funds for the Rotary Foundation, an arm of Rotary International which supports a wide range of humanitarian, educational and cultural programs both locally and internationally. Harris was joined for the day and his PittsfieldWest Springfield leg by several supporters and escorted by Hartdegen from Montgomery through Westfield . (Photo Courtesy the Rotary Club of Westfield)