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WEATHER TONIGHT
T-storms early. Low of 65.
The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
— LAURENCE STERNE
www.thewestfieldnews.com
75 cents
MONDAY, JUNE 19, 2017
VOL. 86 NO. 145
“Free thinkers are generally t hose who never think at all.”
Victims identified in deadly Park Street fire By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD – A fire Saturday at 40 Park Street claimed the lives of Ms. Mary Woodworth, 92, and Ms. Theresa Woodworth, 54. The loss of life was in part due to a lack of working smoke detectors and what was called a “hoarding situation,” according to at least one official. Emergency personnel responded to a call at 40 Park Street on Saturday around 3 p.m., where a fire had started. According to Westfield Fire Department Deputy Chief Patrick Egloff, the fire at the single-family structure was contained to one room and firefighters were able to get water to the blaze in spite of hydrant issues, but a collection of belongings in their way caused issues for them. “The hoarding situation gave us some difficulty while we were trying to advance our hose lines through the home,” he said.
Heaven sent
See Deadly Fire, Page 5
PHOTO BY LYNN F. BOSCHER
St Mary’s celebrates after the last out as the 2017 MIAA Division 4 State Champions. See Story and photos Pages 9, 11. (Photo by Bill Deren)
It may not be Southwick Days, but it’s still a ‘Southwick day’
New farmer’s market having early success By GREG FITZPATRICK Correspondent GRANVILLE – The Granville Farmer’s Market, new this year and happening every other Sunday from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m., is set to host the fourth market on June 25. Jessica Ripley and Nicole Berndt, who are both Granville residents and are co-organizing the farmer’s market, have been pleased
with the first three events, despite the mediocre weather. “People have been really excited to come here,” said Ripley. At the start there were about 11 vendors but that number has increased to 14 and since peak season for farmer’s markets is July and August, the hope is to have 20 vendors by that point. Ripley and Berndt have brought in a wide variety of options for customers. From
jewelry, pottery and goat milk soap, to Italian and Albanian food. The two
By GREG FITZPATRICK Correspondent SOUTHWICK – Despite the Rotary Club announcement that they would not be sponsoring Southwick Days this year, two residents in town have decided to embark on a fundraising effort to support one of the most popular events to the traditionbased carnival. Just a week after the Rotary Club’s decision, Joe Deedy, the Owner of Moolicious Farm, posted on his businesses Facebook Page that he would
See Early Success, Page 7
See Southwick Day, Page 3
The Granville Farmer’s Market will resume on June 25. (Photo courtesy of Danny Nason)
Church to be auctioned By AMY PORTER Correspondent HUNTINGTON – St. Thomas Church, the historic white church located at the top of the Green bridge on the corner of East Main Street and Basket Street in Huntington, is being auctioned off on Thursday, July 20 at 1 p.m. by Aaron Posnik & Co., Inc. auctioneers of West Springfield. The single story church, built in 1882, is 3,720 square feet, located on approximately 1/3 acres, with approximately 120 foot frontage along East Main Street. Listed as improvements on the auction site at www. posnik.com are oil-fired hot water heat, handicap accessible lavatory, elevator, partially finished base-
ment, vinyl siding, slate and asphalt roof, choir loft area, stained glass windows and hardwood and carpeted floors. Inspection will take place the day of sale from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The sale is listed as per order of a motivated seller, which is the Roman Catholic Diocese, and will be sold on the premises the day of the auction. St. Thomas Roman Catholic Church closed in February of 2010, after the membership of St. Thomas, Our Lady of the Rosary Parish in Russell and St. John Mission in Chester voted to merge parishes and worship in the Russell church, which was then renamed the Holy See Church, Page 7
Moolicious Farm and Team Justice have joined forces in order to keep the town fireworks alive. (Photo from
Jackson McCutchen squares up the end of a cutting board he designed.
Craftsman seeks perfection in functional Wooden Art By LORI SZEPELAK Correspondent WESTFIELD-Jackson McCutchen believes one doesn’t have to spend a lot of money to have “cool stuff” – including quality, handmade guitars made from beautiful woods that surround New England and beyond. On Thursday afternoon on Noble Street, he was found outside on his deck with his Craftsman table saw and Random orbital sander working on his latest commissioned guitar project – which will soon be a surprise gift to someone in Western Massachusetts. “I welcome creating unique pieces and working closely with customers to specifications they have,” said McCutchen. Two of his latest creations are guitars commissioned by local performers – Cory
Moolicious Farm)
See Craftsman, Page 3
Western Mass Employment collaborative partners with local employers By GREG FITZPATRICK Correspondent WESTFIELD – With six separate collaboratives across the state of Massachusetts, WMEC (Western Massachusetts Employment Collaborative) is an organization striving to help increase employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. Riverside Community Care, the parent company of WMEC, is located in Dedham, Mass, and is involved in a partnership between service providers, government agencies, workforce development entities, and employers. Riverside Community Care has been a part of this initiative for nearly seven years, while WMEC has been established in the Western Massachusetts area for two and a half years. Pam Mendes, an Employer Liaison for Riverside
Community Care, listed what qualifies an individual as someone who would have a disability and fit into the WMEC program. These are real examples of people who have gone through the Western Massachusetts Employment Collaborative program. (Photo from Western Massachusetts Employment Collaborative) The list ranges from a physical or mental problem, to recovering from trauma like a loss of a family member or friend, also PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), blind or deafness, autism, etc. Mendes said that the while the type of disabilities certainly vary with the people who enter the program, there is one common goal between the parent company and the agencies. “What we’re trying to do is make better matches
for our employers,” said Mendes. “It’s the responsibility of the agency to get to know the individual.” There are multiple employers who have used WMEC’s services in the past, including Big Y, CVS, Enterprise, TJ Maxx, Yankee Candle, University of Massachusetts/Amherst, and MGM Springfield is soon to be included in the list. Mendes also added that WMEC has helped with job placements for around 100 people. Riverside Community Care partners with over 25 different agencies across Western Massachusetts and Community Enterprises is one of those agencies that assists clients with job opportunities in the local area, having offices in Westfield and Holyoke. See Partners, Page 7
Traffic advisory: The Joseph Ave & Papermill Road construction project will be conducting a detour of traffic on Papermill Road at the Joseph Ave intersection impacting both directions starting Monday 6/19/17. The detour is supposed to take place only during their working hours approximately 7am to 4:30pm. This detour is expected to remain in place for several weeks.