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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
www.thewestfieldnews.com
VOL. 85 NO. 305
“Serious-minded people have few ideas. People with ideas are never serious.” — PAUL VALERY
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MONDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2016
Purple Heart Trail is an honor to Westfield Purple Heart recipients By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD–When Scott Thomas heard about the Purple Heart Trail project being put together in the city by ward 4 councilor Mary O’Connell and Don Wieglus from American Legion Post 454, he knew he had to reach out. Thomas, along with his father-in-law Robert “Charlie” Goyette, were both purple heart recipients. Thomas earned his while fighting in the Vietnam War, while Goyette earned two during World War II. Thomas said that he first saw a mention of the Purple Heart Trail in an article from The Westfield News and saw that Wieglus and O’Connell were seeking out Purple Heart veterans and
decided to reach out to them. He feels that the Purple Heart Trail is an honor not just to him but to all of the veterans from Westfield, especially his father-in-law. “When I hear that they were doing it in Westfield, it’s just one of those moments,” Thomas said. “Veterans need to have the continuing appreciation and this is just one more step toward that. It lets people know the community cares.” The project, which was presented to O’Connell initially by the Holyoke city council, has been put together with the help of Marine veteran Don Wieglus and the American Legion Post 454. The trail will be connecting to the one that runs through Holyoke along Route 202, and will continue
down Route 202 in Westfield to Southwick, which is about 10 miles. Thomas’s Purple Heart was awarded after he was involved in the Battle of Ngok Tavak in May 1968. Thomas, who served with the 2nd Division of 13th Marines as a Navy medical corpman, was hit by shrapnel and suffered a concussion when his post was attacked by the Viet Cong 1st “Ba Gia” Regiment. the post was overrun and 13 US soldiers were killed. The result of the Vietnam War led to many decades of an inability to recover those who were killed there, and it wasn’t until 2005 when the US government was able to recover See Purple Heart Trail, Page 3
Leanne Velednitsky in a scene from “Unprotected.” (Photo by Grant Johnson)
Grace Giffune, on right, directs Leanne Velednitsky in a scene from “Unprotected.” Velednitsky has the lead role in the film. (Photo by Jamie Sweeney)
it came time to start development for my senior thesis project, it became clear that shooting in Westfield would be essential to the success of the project.” The short film to be shot in the city is titled “Unprotected,” written by Krista Ray, which Giffune will direct. A local casting call for several unpaid minor roles (including superheroes and supervillains), extras, as well as individuals working behind the scenes, is planned in the coming months. Giffune noted that most roles would only require spending one day on the movie set. “I’ve come a long way since leaving Western Massachusetts and entering film school here in New York City, but one thing has always stayed the same – my desire to direct,” she said. “As soon as my writer, Krista Ray, shared the story of ‘Unprotected’ with me, I knew that I had to do it.” Giffune said that the world of “Unprotected” and its characters have “captivated” her from day one and it is an “honor and a privilege” to be working with Ray and the rest of the crew to bring this “little seed of a thought” to fruition. Without giving away too many details on the action adventure film, Giffune said the story is about the characters – including several youthful superheroes – and their relationships to each other and the world they live in. “An easy film to compare this to is ‘Juno,’” said Giffune, noting that the main character, Shay, is pregnant and has to learn how to deal with the aftermath of choices she made. Key characters in Shay’s world include Brainbasher, Doc Rumble, Mo and Ban-She. See Giffune, Page 3
Local farms talk about Christmas tree season By GREG FITZPATRICK Correspondent SOUTHWICK – With the holidays right around the corner, Christmas trees are always a must-need for families. Local farms in the area each have their own ways of handling Christmas tree season as well as experiencing it. While this past summer featured a drought that highly affected farms throughout Western Massachusetts, Coward Farms in Southwick was able to avoid the drought having any effect on their Christmas trees. According to Coward Farms co-owner John Coward, the fact that they irrigate everything, has led to no damage to the trees. However, Coward did see the rise in temperatures that went to 90 degrees in September. “You’ll see effects of it next year more than this year,” said Coward. The Christmas tree season is an important part of the year for Coward Farms. “It’s more than 30% of our business,” said Coward. Coward Farms starts their Christmas tree season the weekend right before Thanksgiving and goes until Dec. 23. They sell the basic trees like Frazier, Balsam, and Spruce. “We’ve sold some of everything,” said Coward. With 30% of sales being from Christmas trees, the weekends are critical for Coward and the rest of the farm. “If you get a lousy weekend, it really hampers your sales,” said Coward.
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Planning Board requests moratorium for recreational marijuana
NYU student seeks collaborations, ‘Extras’ for local filming By LORI SZEPELAK Correspondent WESTFIELD — Grace Giffune knew by middle school that she wanted to work behind the scenes in movies. “I was home sick and watching commentary from the cast and crew of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,” said Giffune during a recent phone interview. Giffune, the daughter of Jen and Joe Giffune of Westfield, is in her senior year of New York University’s Film & TV Program at the Tisch School of the Arts. “After talking with my mom that morning, I realized at that moment I wanted to do that too.” From that pivotal moment, Giffune has come a long way from her middle school and Westfield High School days in dance and drama club productions. “I decided around 10th grade that my passion lies in the entertainment industry,” she said. As Giffune was deciding on her senior thesis project, she knew the city would play a major role. “I’ve lived in New York City for the past few years but I still have strong ties to Westfield,” said Giffune. “When
Raymond “Charlie” Goyette (left) and Scott Thomas (right) pose with the Purple Heart Trail sign that will be erected soon. (Photo by Don
Coward Farms in Southwick will continue to sell Christmas trees up until Dec. 23. (Photo by Greg Fitzpatrick) Although Harvest Moon Farm is in Feeding Hills, it is selling its Christmas trees in Southwick, right next to D’Georgio’s Restaurant on Feeding Hills Rd. “I figured it would be good cross-marketing,” said Harvest Moon Farm See Christmas Tree Season, Page 3
By GREG FITZPATRICK Correspondent SOUTHWICK – During the last Planning Board meeting, the board discussed the topic of recreational marijuana. As of Dec. 15, people 21 years and older can have up to an ounce of marijuana in their possession as a gift, but it still remains illegal for someone to buy it or sell it. Individuals can also grow up to six plants and have 12 total plants in a household. People growing marijuana, must be doing it in their primary residence DOUG MOGLIN and in a locked and secure area. Since the town of Southwick voted for recreational marijuana, it is something that the Planning Board wants to get a head start on before recreational use becomes fully in effect at some point in 2018. “We just don’t want to sit and wait,” said Alan Slissler, the town planner. “We want to be more proactive.” Assisting the Planning Board as a liaison is Select Board Vice-Chairman Doug Moglin. A former Planning Board member, Moglin has a very extensive background with the proper zoning and bylaws that the board needs to follow. Moglin too, does see the importance of being proactive with the issue of recreational marijuana, by simply reflecting off of the voting outcome. “The voters voted for it by almost 50 votes,” said Moglin. With that in mind, Moglin and the board are setting out with one goal in mind. “We want it zoned appropriately,” said Moglin. Slissler then mentioned that he, Moglin, and the Planning Board have agreed to create a sub-committee. But, before any sub-committee is formed, the Select Board has to approve it. Slissler said that the Planning Board would be sending out a letter to the Select Board, requesting the need for a sub-committee. The sub-committee won’t be the only thing that the board will be requesting as they feel a moratorium would be in the best interest for dealing with recreational marijuana. The moratorium will allow the Planning Board to come up with a proper bylaw. Slissler wants to use the moratorium in order to find what places would be appropriate for marijuana retail facilities and so on for the future. The board is familiar with finding a location for marijuana as there was a proposal for a growing and retail facility for medical marijuana about three years ago on Hudson Dr. When the five Planning Board members voted on that proposal it was very narrowly voted down by a 3-2 vote. Members of the Planning Board who have experienced the proposal on Hudson Dr., will use that as an example for the near future with recreational use and use the best resources available to them. “We would rely a lot on the police department,” said Slissler. Knowing that the holidays are right around the corner, there will be a break with Planning Board meetings. According to Slissler, he is working on having a public hearing in regards to the zoning and bylaws of recreational marijuana for Jan. 10.