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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
“Life is doubt, and faith without doubt is nothing but death.” — MIGUEL DE UNAMUNO
www.thewestfieldnews.com VOL. 86 NO. 28
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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2017
Survey Results for 350th Anniversary By AMY PORTER Correspondent WESTFIELD – 570 residents filled out a survey in January on how best to observe Westfield’s 350th anniversary. The official date of Westfield’s incorporation was May 19, 1669, which makes 2019 the year of celebration. To the question of whether it is important to celebrate the anniversary, 77% of respondents said that it is very important. The survey was created by the steering committee formed to explore ways to recognize this milestone, headed by Amber Danahey, the city’s community outreach coordinator and community development director Peter Miller, who said their first order of business was to seek community input. When asked what kinds of events residents would attend, a parade came in number one at 64%. Also high on the list were a musical performance by a local artist at 58% and a community block party at 47%,
which tied with an old-fashioned community picnic and field day. Also tied were a youth-focused event and historical Westfield stories at 43% of respondents. 41% said they would like the celebration to feature historical re-enactments, and 38%, a visual arts show. 18% said they would attend a celebration ball, and 17% said they would participate in a bicycle race. When asked what time of year the city should plan for the celebration, 64% chose May, the month the city was incorporated. July came in second at 36%, June third at 23%, and September at 13%. Mayor Brian P. Sullivan said, “It would be nice to celebrate the 350th throughout the year in order to give the people a chance to participate in the festivities. It will also give the committee a chance to highlight the many different parts of the city with long histories.” See Survey, Page 5
Newly sworn in At Large City Councilor John Beltrandi III (second from right) is joined by Mayor Brian Sullivan (l), City Clerk Karen Fanion and Council President Brent Bean (r). (WNG file photo)
Westfield City Clerk Karen Fanion (l) administers the oath of office to John Beltrandi III (r) in City Council Chambers. (WNG file photo)
Beltrandi in as city councilor By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD – John Beltrandi, III, was officially sworn into the city council Friday morning, providing the council with an experienced replacement for former at-large councilor Dan Knapik. Beltrandi is stepping into the position of at-large city councilor, after Knapik left due to an employment agreement with the town of Yarmouth. Knapik took the position of Yarmouth’s town administrator. Now, Beltrandi is coming back into the position that he served in previously, which creates a seamless transition for city council. “I think we got lucky on this one,” council president Brent Bean, II, said. “[Beltrandi] is a former city councilor so he can hit the ground running. We don’t
have to explain the inner workings and we don’t have to worry.” Beltrandi had previously served in the position of at-large city councilor from 2008 to 2011. He lost his re-election bid in the 2011 election, then attempted to run again in 2015 but lost out to now-fellow at-large councilor Steve Dondley by three votes, following a recount. In addition to being at-large councilor, Beltrandi is also expected to step into the roles left behind by Knapik, namely the position of chairperson of the license committee for the council. This was a position that Beltrandi also previously served in. “I’m excited to getting back into city council,” See Councilor Beltrandi, Page 5
Westfield water testing–what is it?
Two fire department officers graduate from state program By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD — Two deputy chiefs from the city’s fire department graduated from the Massachusetts Fire Academy’s Chief Fire Officer’s Training Program this week. Deputy Chiefs Eric Bishop and Patrick Kane completed the 14-week course over five months, learning a variety of non-fire suppression aspects of their careers, including a variety of management techniques. Bishop and Kane were the only two representatives from the western Massachusetts area in the class, which
had 31 total graduates and had over 80 applicants. The program came at no charge to the city, since it was sponsored by the Massachusetts Fire Academy. “We’re very excited for our chief officers to continue to attend classes and seminars to be able to better serve our community, and as chief I’m very proud,” Westfield Fire Chief Mary Regan, said. “It’s a great learning experience for their entire career.” The program focused on a variety of management techniques and modernized See Officers, Page 5
By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD—When it comes to the city’s public drinking water, people may be surprised to know just how strict and all-encompassing the process is to provide residents with safe water. The process reveals a lot about the city’s public water supply and its makeup, and city officials contend that the system is comprehensive and efficient. The testing is done on the city’s eight water wells–currently six, due to two being offline–as well as the Granville reservoir. Through the testing, which is done year-round, the Westfield Water Department is able to track and catalogue each contaminant in the water, while maintaining strict water standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This testing can be confusing though, especially when the results don’t show the same contaminants year to year in consumer confidence reports (CCRs). “There is a schedule of testing that the EPA develops, it’s extremely detailed and extremely long,” Heather Miller, water systems engineer for the city, said. “What happens is there’s a long list of things that we test for, but it only gets reported if it’s detected.” The contaminants that are found are reported each year to
Barns Aquifer map from the BAPAC website. residents through a CCR. For those unfamiliar, the CCR is a culmination of the testing that is done throughout the year and is mandated by the EPA to be distributed to water customers. The data is comprehensive and is totaled from the entire year’s worth of testing. The compilation of the data for city-wide results takes several months to compile, so the results from one year’s testing may not go out to the public until the following June. As an example, in spite of 2016 testing occurring yearround, that data will come out to the residents via CCR around June 2017. The results from testing are shown to consumers through the CCR and additional information about the water, as well as any violations that the depart-
ment may have had, are catalogued on the document. Also on the document you will see the maximum contamination level (MCL), which is the highest amount allowed per regulations, as well as the maximum contamination level goal (MCLG), which is the maximum amount of a contaminant that they desire. So, when a resident receives a CCR they may see some apparent discrepancies regarding contaminants that are listed. However, there is not a discrepancy, but instead the contaminant was not detected in the water system and this is generally considered to be good. An example of this is chromium, which is a byproduct of steel and pulp mills and is also a natural deposit. In 2015, chromium was found in the water at 0.44 parts per billion (PPB), but from 2011 to 2014 none was listed. Then, from 2006 to 2010 the inorganic contaminant was found between 1.1 and 2.2 PPB. When chromium was found in the water, all of the levels were well below the total allowed of 100 PPB, but since they were detected they had to be reported. For some items though, there is no MCL or MCLG that is listed, such as the much talked about firefighting foam (like See Water Testing, Page 7
Girl Scout Troops Forming In City By LORI SZEPELAK Correspondent WESTFIELD — A Girl Scout Info Night is slated Feb. 13 to discuss the many adventures that await girls in new troops forming in the city. The informational gathering, beginning at 6 p.m. at Westfield High School, welcomes parents and their daughters to learn about the organization, according to Dana Carnegie, community relations manager, Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts. The event is geared toward girls in kindergarten through
third grade, and attendees will receive the Disney Channel and Girl Scouts USA’s Elena of Avalor Leadership Guide. An Elena of Avalor themed activity is also planned. Girl Scouts is open to girls in grades K-12 and opportunities to join are open at all levels. When joining Girl Scouts, there is a membership fee of $25 with financial assistance available. For more information, contact Kerry O’Brien at (508) 749-3633 or via email to kobrien@gscwm.org.
Girl Scout programs offer girls a wide range of opportunities including science projects.