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Rep. Boldyga secures funding for school safety upgrades By GREG FITZPATRICK Correspondent SOUTHWICK – Rep. Nick Boldyga has successfully restored a line item that was initially vetoed by Gov. Charlie Baker in July. Announced on Friday by Boldyga’s legislative director, Mark O’Neil, Boldyga and other members of the House of Representatives, were able to override items that were vetoed by Gov. Baker. One of those items includes $50,000 for classroom safety improvements and safety upgrades for the Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School District. According to O’Neil, Boldyga first filed this item into the budget in April. Being able to now secure this funding for his district, Boldyga was
Rep. Nick Boldyga. (WNG File Photo)
pleased to be able to make this happen. “I’m glad that all of the discussions with school officials and the school resource officer paid off! Restoring $50,000 for classroom safety upgrades is a step in the right direction,” said Rep. Boldyga in the press release. “I’m a dad and I have two kids that go to school in Southwick, I take school safety seriously. I know these funds will assist our school district in adding safety improvements.” On July 24, Gov. Baker signed the FY (Fiscal Year) 2018 budget into law. A $39.4 billion plan, the FY18 budget included six items that were sponsored by Sen. Don Humason, including the $50,000 for safety upgrades to the Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School District.
Planning Board to address proposed dog kennel and business lighting By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD—Among the many items scheduled for the Westfield Planning Board this week, two items for public hearing may draw some public interest and interaction Tuesday night. The Planning Board will meet on Tuesday, Oct. 17, in the City Council Chambers on Court Street, beginning at 7 p.m. There are several items on the agenda Tuesday, but two in particular may get more attention from residents during the meeting. The first is for a special permit/ site plan review of a commercial dog kennel at 98 Southwick Road. According to City Planner Jay Vinskey, the proposal is for a dog kennel and dog daycare, which would have included outdoor and indoor kennels made among the improvements done to the site. One
concern that could come from the proposal is the addition of noise from barking dogs at the facility. “I would guess that would certainly be a concern,” Vinskey said of the possibility of noise pollution from the site. However, Vinskey said that the plans may change by Tuesday. He said that the city’s building inspector determined that it should be allindoor, “so they’re expected to come in with an amended plan,” Vinskey said. According to Vinskey, an indoor facility may be less of a concern for nearby residents, though this remains to be seen. In the end, Vinskey said that the hearing is for a special permit, so it will be up to the planning board what occurs next. “It is a special permit so it is at the board’s discretion if this is an appropriate location for that type of use,”
Jay Vinskey, city planner for Westfield. he said. The second agenda item and public hearing that may draw interest is for a proposed zoning ordinance amendment to address exterior lighting.
“Fairly recently, the board has seen lighting issues with a few projects,” Vinskey said. Vinskey cited the Roots Athletic Complex as an example, where he said that what was installed was not part of the approved plan. This lighting also drew complaints from neighbors. Another issue is related to the proposed Boise Cascade, Vinskey said, where the lights installed did not match plans and caused problems with neighbors, as well. Vinskey said that businesses are able to adjust the lights and revisit the planning board for approval but the board preferred to go another route. “Rather than coming back to the board and finding a middle ground, the board felt we needed something codified,” he said. Vinskey said that the proposal gives clearly defined standards on
Review: ‘The Wolves’ Opens TheaterWorks Season By MARK G. AUERBACH and BENJAMIN JACEK Correspondents Theaterworks has opened its new season with a stunning new play, The Wolves, by a new playwright with incredible potential, Sarah DeLappe. Artistic Associate Eric Ort makes his Theaterworks directing debut with The Wolves, and he’s choreographed a cast of ten in a cinematic, always moving production that turns The Wolves into an enthralling and exciting ninety minutes of theatre that’s part comedy, part drama, and part suspense. His cast is superlative, a group of actors that, like a solid sports team, move in unison and unite for the game, while showing their distinctive characters individually. The Wolves, the story of a high school girl’s indoor soccer team, plays out on an innovative playing field set design by Mariana Sanchez. If there’s such a thing as the final game of a World Cup in theatre, this is it. Since I’ve been out of high school a long time, I went to The Wolves in the company of Benjamin Jacek, a high school senior and competitive athlete who could give me a fresh take on what I was seeing. Ben said of The Wolves, “Yes it is a realistic portrayal of high school athletes. It shows the struggle of academics, sports, and life during high school while playing a sport. I really liked how the play included the pressure of being scouted for college teams, and facing challenges in school while still playing the sport.” The Wolves was originally produced Off-Broadway last year, and a new production opens at Lincoln Center next month. A finalist for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize, and a Drama Desk winner, the play will also be produced at several regional theatres nationwide this season. Playwright Sarah DeLappe is currently play-
Rob Ward3 Atkocaitis City Council
the issue, addressing it “in a very black and white” way and improving the “nebulous” definitions that currently inform lighting. In addition, Vinskey said that it could strengthen the abilities of the building department. Among the changes, Vinskey said that the ordinance would give footcandle limits to the amount of light trespass that can occur on property. Another change, if the proposed amendment is OKed, is that lighting fixtures may become more uniform, with prohibitions on light passing beyond a horizontal plane above the light fixture and that all light must be directed downward. Electronic copies of the Southwick Road proposal and the proposed zoning amendment can be found on the City of Westfield’s website in the Planning Department link, or through the city’s calendar the day that the hearings are scheduled.
Huntington Recreation Committee hosts scarecrow making at Rag Shag parade By AMY PORTER Correspondent HUNTINGTON – The Huntington Recreation Committee hosted a Rag Shag Parade and Scarecrow Making on Saturday. Families and children dressed up in their favorite costumes, and walked from Pettis Field, over the green bridge to the town common. After arriving at the town common, small prizes were awarded for different categories of costumes. Then, everyone was invited to get creative and make a scarecrow. Participants were asked to bring old clothing, markers, scissors, twine and rubber bands to help with tying arms & legs. The Huntington Recreation Committee provided the hay. The annual event is usually held a couple of weeks before Halloween, giving the children a head start on costume preparation.
(Front) Caitlin Zoz, Carolyn Cutillo, Claire Saunders, Déa Julien, (Back) Karla Gallegos, Shannon Keegan, Emily Murphy, Rachel Caplan, Olivia Hoffman in TheaterWorks’ production of The Wolves. (Photo by Lanny Nagler) wright-in-residence at Lincoln Center. DeLappe has written a team character study, where as a group, the team moves towards victory, but individually, in their pre-game warm-ups, we see a group of young women jockey for position, assert their power, display their insecurities, behave with extraordinary depth and conviction, and turn on a dime into vulnerable young women, or mean girls. Ort has chosen to keep the cast constantly in motion, either jogging, doing calisthetics, or other exercises, assisted by See Review, Page 3
Tomorrow, come and meet
Robert Atkocaitis Candidate, Ward 3 City Council from 5pm to 7pm on Tuesday October 17th.
The Carter and Grant family with the scarecrow they made together.
We will be at
Santiago Family Restaurant 34 Franklin St Westfield Come and Join us!
Paid for by the commitee to elect Robert Atkocaitis, 268 Western Av, Westfield, Massachusetts - Jeffery Pratt, Treasurer