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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2014
Body found at Stanley Park WESTFIELD – The body of a 19-year-old Westfield State University student was found in Stanley Park yesterday morning, the result of what police believe to be a suicide. Westfield Police Lt. Jerome Pitoniak confirmed discovery of the body, later identified as Kevin Friedland, a sophomore biology major from Marshfield, Massachusetts. “We do not have a lot of information to give out, but it is a non-suspicious death,” Pitoniak said. City police report that a Western Avenue resident passing by crosscountry skiing reported to police at 11:07 a.m. that a person could be seen hanging from a bridge inside the park. An officer who hiked into the park to an area not accessible by conventional motor vehicles confirmed that the male party appeared to be deceased. Detective Brain Fanion responded and, triggered by his response, a representative of the coroner also responded, as did State Police detectives assigned to the Hampden County District Attorney’s office Dr. Elizabeth H. Preston, president
75 cents
Retirement obligations increasing
Noise Mitigation
Barnes Regional Airport Manager Brian Barnes speaks to members of the Westfield City Council on changes to the present Part 150 Noise Mitigation program and its impact on residents in and around the city during the Feb. 6 meeting. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
FAA changing noise mitigation rules
See Found, Page 3
Unshoveled hydrant leads to fire loss By Hope E. Tremblay Staff Writer SOUTHWICK – Although Southwick firefighters were able to contain a garage fire last week, they may have been able to save more of the structure if a nearby hydrant was shoveled out. Fire Chief Richard Anderson said the fire on College Highway by the Granby, Conn. line engulfed and totaled the garage and mudroom that connected the garage to the home. See Hydrant, Page 3
RICHARD ANDERSON
By Dan Moriarty Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The FAA has modified the criterion for resident participation in the on-going noise mitigation program initiated after F-15 fighter jets were moved from Otis Air Base on Cape Cod to the 104th Fighter Wind of the Massachusetts Air National Guard stationed at Barnes Regional Airport six years ago, replacing the A-10 ground support fighters, a much quieter airframe. The noise mitigation program was initiated after a study of noise levels was conducted and boundaries based upon 70 and 65 decibels (dB) were established for the noise mitigation program for residents living near the airport.
knows much more than he understands.” — Alfred Adler
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VOL. 83 NO. 45
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Airport Manager Brian Barnes said at the City Council’s Feb 6 session that 364 houses were qualified for noise abatement, with 52 of the houses within the 70 dB zone and 312 in the 65 dB zone. Audience members filled the Westfield City Council Chambers during the Feb. 6 city council meeting which included discussion of changes in the Part 150 Noise Mitigation program and its impact on residents in and around the airport. (Photo by Frederick Gore) Residents in the 70 dB zone have the option of selling their homes, which would then be demolished. Those residents also had the option of accepting See Noise Mitigation, Page 5
By Dan Moriarty Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The City Council sent an appropriation request, for the city’s contribution into the public works retirement account, to the Finance Committee last week. The council received a report from the Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission that the city’s contribution to current and future retirees will in increase by more than a half a million dollars in the 2015 fiscal year which begins July 1, 2014. The state agency submits the retirement funding to allow city officials to build it into the new municipal budget. Ward 5 Councilor Robert Paul Sr., questioned the justification for an increase from $7.98 million in the current budget to the $8,538,431 million submitted Thursday, Feb. 20, to the council. Finance Committee Chairman Christopher Keefe said the increase of more than six percent was surprising because of the investment gains again this year in the financial markets. “They had a pretty good year,” Keefe said. “So you’d think that they wouldn’t need a half million increase” to pay for current and future retirement obligations. The process involves actuarial projections of future revenue and obligations, data that it then put into a formula to ensure sufficient funding is on hand when needed. “The actuaries come up with a schedule based upon those projects of (investment income and contributions from both the employees and city) to get revenue to a certain funding level needed for future benefits,” Keefe said. “Employees contribute to the fund, so we’re a pass-through agency, socking money away for current and future obligations.” The issue will be discussed in the Finance Committee. Retirement funding and Other Post Employment Benefits (OPEB) have been a major concern of At-large Council David A. Flaherty who was absent Thursday and who has urged the city to adopt a more aggressive funding schedule to ensure the retirement reserves are sufficient to meet obligations without a “balloon payment” being imposed on future city taxpayers. “I’ve been trying to get the city and the employee unions to address this OPEB issue for years,” Flaherty said in an article published in January in the Westfield News. “Taxpayers are livid that their taxes keep going up, yet what’s even worse for them is the behind the scenes snowballing of these unfunded obligations that are going to place even See Obligations, Page 3
New leader for Westfield Police Department’s auxiliary By Carl E. Hartdegen Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The Westfield Police Department’s auxiliary turned a page at the recent meeting of the city police commission when the commissioners both ritually made their required annual reappointment of all auxiliary officers and also appointed a new leader for the force. The auxiliary force supplements the full-time officers as volunteers, taking patrol assignments (particularly on weekends) and work at special functions in the city, helping with duties such as traffic and crowd control. The auxiliaries are also usually appointed as special officers so they will be available to work paid details such as ‘road jobs’. The auxiliary officers are also paid when called into work for local emergencies such as floods and other severe weather events. The position of director of the auxiliary force has been open since the recent retirement of former director Jerry Crawford and the commission acted to replace him with the man he replaced, Robert Sorel.
Sorel was first appointed to the auxiliary force in 1987 and, while an auxiliary officer, was hired as a police officer in Northampton and completed the fulltime police academy and underwent all the training necessary to be a full-time officer. He was promoted to the rank of corporal – “I didn’t even know we had that rank” quipped Chief John Camerota – in 1988 and served for several years until the auxiliary unit was decommissioned by then chief Benjamin Surprise. Sorel returned to the auxiliary force when it was reactivated by Camerota in 2001. In 2002 Sorel took over the reins of the force and was appointed lieutenant when Lt. Ed Wielgus retired and commanded the unit until 2004 when he moved to Arizona. Crawford then became the director of the auxiliary force. When Sorel returned to the city in 2009 he was again appointed to the auxiliary and was promoted to be sergeant in 2011. He was promoted lieutenant in 2013. However, Sorel jokes, “the ranks all pay the same” since the auxiliaries
DONALD HUMASON Sr.
almost always work as volunteers. He pointed out that he is in a position to know the ranks first hand as he has held every available rank in the auxiliary force, even one which is no longer used. “I do this because I enjoy it,” he said When Camerota recommended Sorel to the commission for appointment he said “he probably would have been the director See Auxiliary, Page 3
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