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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
www.thewestfieldnews.com
“The test of courage
comes when we are in the minority. The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority.” — RALPH W. SOCKMAN
MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015
VOL. 84 NO. 187
75 cents
18-year-old dies saving his sister from drowning By CHRISTINE CHARNOSKY Correspondent WESTFIELD – An 18-year-old Springfield man died Friday after saving his sister from drowning. Westfield police received a 911 call at 6:13 p.m. Friday night with the caller reporting that a girl was
drowning and her brother went in after her, according to police records. The two had been swimming in the Westfield River off Russell Road in the vicinity of the old Sheraton Restaurant. Both had been removed from the water, but Roberto Martinez was
unconscious and not breathing. CPR could not be immediately accomplished over the phone because the caller was on the south side and the victim was on the north side of the river, according to police records. Westfield Police Captain Michael McCabe said there was a
large group of people gathered at the river, but only the children could speak English. By the time emergency medical technicians arrived, someone had started CPR and Martinez was transported to Noble Hospital but See Drowning, Page 3
Verizon strike will impact Gaslight District
Mayor Knapik running By HOPE E. TREMBLAY Staff Writer WESTFIELD – On Friday, the Westfield City Clerk’s office confirmed that Mayor Daniel M. Knapik took out nomination paperwork for an at-large City Council seat. Knapik commented that it was “just a rumor” when questioned about his seeking a return to the City Council but he posted an announcement to his FaceBook page Friday evening about his run for an at-large seat. So far, Knapik is the twelfth known individual who has requested nomination paperwork from the Clerk’s office for seven elected at-large seats on the City Council. Of the remaining 11 who have taken out nomination papers, four are currently at-large incumbents: Daniel Allie, Brent Bean, David Flaherty and Matthew Van Heynigan. The others are: John J. Beltrandi III, Mark Butler, Steve Dondley, Christopher Keefe, Muneeb Moon Mahmoud, Rudolph Musterait and Carl Vincent. Here is a list of the individuals who have shown an interest in the individual Ward Council seats as of this writing: Ward 1: incumbent, Christopher Keefe, and his challenger from 2013 Mary Ann Babinski. Ward 2: incumbent Ralph Figy. Ward 3: incumbent Brian Hoose and Andrew Surprise. Ward 4: incumbent Mary O’Connell, Mark Butler and Katherine Bentrewicz. Ward 5: incumbent Robert Paul, Sr. Ward 6: Cheryl Crowe, Dave Flaherty and William Onyski The mayor’s race has Harold Phelps, Michael Roeder and current At-Large Councilman Brian Sullivan circulating See Knapik, Page 3
Westfield River near old Sheraton Restaurant. (Photo by Christine Charnosky)
Southwick blaze contained to garage By HOPE E. TREMBLAY Staff Writer SOUTHWICK – A fire at 15 Sunnyside Road resulted in a total loss of a two-car garage, but little damage to the home. Southwick Fire Chief Richard Anderson said a neighbor called 911 Sunday afternoon and when Southwick Fire Department arrived, the garage was fully engulfed. “We were able to contain it to the garage, however, we had to cut a hole in the kitchen ceiling to access the attic,” said Anderson. The blaze crept into the attic of the one-story house and firefighters worked quickly to keep it from spreading. “It’s a big roof structure and it’s all open,” Anderson said. The first firefighters to arrive had to push through the home. “They had to force entry into the residence through the front door so they could put themselves in front of the advancing inferno, and with their hoseline, push the fire back into the garage,” said Anderson. “Their actions kept the fire from consuming the home.” In addition to the 25 members of the Southwick Fire Department that responded, mutual aid was given by
Suffield, Granby, East Granby, Granville and Russell. Anderson said the firefighters worked as a team to contain the fire. “There were six departments there working as one department,” he said. “Everybody was doing their job.” Anderson said Sunday night that the state fire marshal was on scene working with the Southwick arson team to determine a cause. Anderson said the heat did play a role in the firefighters’ approach. “Heat was a factor during the fire attack,” he said. “It was humid, and in full gear, it was very hot. We had to keep the firefighters hydrated.” The house was recently purchased and Anderson said fortunately, the homeowners were not home when the fire broke out.
By DAN MORIARTY Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The potential of a strike in nine states, including Massachusetts, could cause delays in a significant portion of the Gaslight District project: the removal of overhead power and telecommunication lines and the poles supporting those lines. The current contract, which covers 39,000 workers, between Verizon and two unions, the International Brotherhood of MARK Electrical Workers and the CRESSOTTI Communications Workers of America, expires on Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2015. Members of the two unions have authorized a strike, if necessary, because Verizon is attempting to sharply increase their health care contributions and make concession on pensions. City Engineer Mark Cressotti said the timing of the possible strike will delay work that is scheduled to begin this week as the Westfield Gas & Electric Department, Comcast and Verizon are slated to begin moving power and telecommunication lines underground on School, Central, and Church streets. “A strike effects us significantly because we were just ready to begin pulling wires (through underground conduits),” Cressotti said. “Verizon is suppose to work concurrently with the WG&E which is scheduled to begin that effort by the end of this week.” Cressotti said that if the telephone lines are not put underground with the other utilities, it would prevent the removal of the overhead telephone lines and of the utility poles. “So we couldn’t get rid of the poles and overhead telephone lines until the strike is resolved and I have no idea how long that could take,” Cressotti said. The WG&E effort is considerably more complicated than the scope of work to be performed by either Verizon or Comcast. “There is conduit to the individual building where many of the meters are inside the building and need to be moved outside,” Cressotti said. “Many of the buildings have vintage electrical systems, some properties do not have circuit breaker boxes, they have fuse relay systems See Gaslight District, P age 3
Task force planned to address regionalization
One of the new signs that DPW replaced after 20 signs went missing. (Photo by Christine Charnosky)
Street signs stolen, damaged over 3 days By CHRISTINE CHARNOSKY Correspondent WESTFIELD – Street signs disappeared in a rash of thefts that kept the Westfield Department of Public Works busy replacing them last week. In fact, the DPW, did such a good job replacing the signs that numerous residents interviewed about the missing signage hadn’t even noticed.
By AMY PORTER Correspondent HUNTINGTON – At the Gateway Towns Advisory Committee (GTAC) on Saturday in Stanton Hall, a report was given on the meeting that several members, including co-moderators Derrick Mason of Russell and Darlene McVeigh of Huntington, had on July 17 with Representative William “Smitty” Pignatelli (D-4th Berkshire District). Mason said they met to discuss western Mass. schools, regionalization and sustainability. Mason said that Pignatelli informed them “in very clear terms” to get active and hopefully reconfigure the schools and the educational process for the future. Mason said many of school systems are suf-
Mason said that Pignatelli recently met with the Governor’s staff on these issues, and brought Gateway Regional School District into the discussion. “We are part of the problem that the state needs to address,” Mason said. McVeigh, who also attended the meeting, said that one of Pignatelli’s strongest comments was that the work has to begin now. “The state is not going to look favorably on us if we wait until the end of next year,” she said. “If we can demonstrate that the towns and the Gateway School Committee are working together, and if we can demonstrate progress, it will be easier to request additional mitigation See Gateway, Page 3
INSIDE TODAY
Southwick Historical Society Open House Page 8
Farm to Table Dinner Page 7
See Missing Signs, Page 3
fering: enrollment is declining, costs per student are going up, and the towns don’t have the budgets to maintain even the status quo. Pignatelli pointed out at their meeting that the model being used for education hasn’t changed, maybe, since the 1800s. The Southern Berkshire district has been working on this problem and applied for a grant, but didn’t receive one. Northern Berkshire recently held a meeting in Dalton attended by 30 people and are launching a campaign to rework their school system. “It was a real ground breaker and an eye opener for us,” Mason said. “In my opinion, we should be attending these meetings and collaborating with them. It would help make our work easier, and help with grant funding.”
Little League Baseball Pages 9, 11