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WEATHER TONIGHT Becoming Cloudy. Low of 61.
The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
managing is to keep the guys who hate you away from the guys who are undecided.” — CASEY STENGEL
www.thewestfieldnews.com VOL. 85 NO. 178
“The secret of
75 cents
SATURDAY, JULY 30, 2016
Police make an arrest.
For police, no two days are alike By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD — “Do you want a bulletproof vest,” Westfield Police Sergeant Jeff Baillargeon asked me. I never met Baillargeon before and that was a rather odd way to say “hello.” I was going to be riding along with him on the 4 p.m. to midnight shift on a Friday, which is traditionally an action-packed shift. This was now my second ride-along with Westfield Police, since the first one was rather tame. And for officer Seth Florek—who was my guide that first day—it was a good day because every quiet day is a good one for police. For me though, I wanted a little more action. Notice that I said a little more—not so much that I need a bulletproof vest. Anyway, after the unsuccessful ride-along with Florek I was invited to ride along with his commander, Baillargeon, to try and get a real experience of what it is like for an officer on the street. And there could have been a need for a bulletproof vest for me with either men, since both are part of the Special Response Team (SRT) in Westfield, which is essentially a SWAT team. At any moment a highly-volatile situation could erupt, such as an active shooter or drug bust, and the SRT would have to assemble and respond. They always carry their equipment in their vehicles just in case for situations like that. It isn’t just in Westfield that they respond, either. Baillargeon said that the SRT responded recently to an incident in Huntington where an armed suicidal man barricaded himself in his house. They were able to evacuate the man and no injuries or casualties were suffered. So, there was that threat looming at all times while I rode along with them. Still, I declined the bulletproof vest. However, these men do need their vests. Every day could lead to another statistic involving an officer injured or shot on duty. Whether it’s in Boston, Dallas or San Diego, the violence against cops is growing it seems. And the men and women of Westfield Police respond to about 45,000 calls a year, or approximately 123 per day, in spite of the city’s sleepy status. There may not be a lot of murders or violent acts, but there are enough to keep the police busy and worried about their own lives day in and day out. A lot of what Westfield Police encounter though, are incidents that require community service more than police work. A majority of their time, Baillargeon said, is spent servicing citizens who have disputes or who just aren’t sure who else to call. “We’re service oriented,” Baillargeon said. “We work for the people of Westfield. If it’s a leaky pipe, a
South Middle School band director Luke Baillargeon practices with summer band students for an upcoming concert this Friday, August 5, 6 p.m. at the Second Congregational Church. (Photo by Amy Porter)
Eighth-grader Steven Bonacci and freshman Deajah Barbour play a saxophone duet during practice. (Photo by Amy Porter)
For the love of music By AMY PORTER Correspondent WESTFIELD – South Middle School band director Luke Baillargeon and a couple of dozen band students have been meeting for three hours on Friday mornings at the Second Congregational Church for the past month to practice. Baillargeon, who started at South Middle School in the fall of 2006, said he has wanted to do a summer music program for several years. “I always wanted to start something. When you do it in the school, it gets a little more complicated,” he said. He added that during the summer, students lose a lot of their cognitive skills. He thought just doing a little bit in the summer would help them to retain what they’ve learned. This year, “proud band parent” and church member Jennifer Thielen opened up the church for the free summer program. “It’s a labor of love. No one’s making any money,” See Baillargeon, Page 8
Also volunteering at the summer program is SMS band alum Mike Santinello of Riverside Productions in Westfield. (Photo by Amy Porter)
Westfield High School Principal Search update By AMY PORTER Correspondent WESTFIELD – The deadline to apply for the position of interim principal for Westfield High School has passed, a preliminary screening committee has been formed, and the work of screening and interviewing the candidates is about to begin. Paula Ceglowski, Westfield Public School’s new human services director, said they have a healthy pool of candidates, and she hopes to conclude the committee’s work, which she will be
facilitating, by the second week of August. Serving on the preliminary screening committee are two current high school students, parents Jill Adams, Amanda Lowe and Angela Peloquin, teachers Kristen Biancuzzo, Andrew Butler and Trisha LeClair, community members Diane Mayhew and Kate Phelon, and directors Ron Rix and Chris Rogers. “I’m looking forward to working with the preliminary screening committee so we can put forward a candidate to the superintendent,” Ceglowski said.
‘Highly aggressive’ fox seen near Massachusetts-Connecticut line GRANBY, Conn. (AP) — Residents of Granby, Connecticut are being warned by police to watch out for a “highly aggressive” and possibly rabid fox seen in town. Police say a resident of the Silver Brook Lane area reported Wednesday that he was attacked by a fox while on his home’s deck. That person sought medical attention and is being treated for rabies. Several hours later a person mowing a lawn on a nearby street was charged by a fox.
A fox then jumped into a pool occupied by children, before getting out without making contact with the kids. A fox was spotted two more times on Thursday. Local animal control has set out traps and state wildlife officials have been informed. Anyone who sees the animal is asked to contact police. Silver Brook lane is located in the northern portion of Granby, very close to Southwick and Granville, on the other side of the state line.
See No Two Days, Page 5
Westfield Cultural Council releases community input survey results By AMY PORTER Correspondent WESTFIELD -The Westfield Cultural Council (WCC) has released results of the annual community input survey conducted in June, asking Westfield Cultural Council logoresidents about arts and cultural programs in the city. Amy Tosi, chair of the WCC since 2015,
said over 200 community members weighed in on the survey during the Westfield on Weekends Artwalk, at the Westfield Farmer’s Market and online at Survey Monkey. The responses help the Council to determine the grant applications to fund in the upcoming grant cycle made possible through the Massachusetts Cultural Council, which allocates funds annually to Westfield for the pur-
pose of supporting arts and cultural events and programs in Westfield. This year’s survey asked five questions ranging from residents’ awareness of the grant program (127 people replied yes, 96 no), to which events should be supported. Current arts and cultural programs deemed most valuable included Music on the Green, which received a majority of the votes,
Westfield Creative Arts, programs at the Westfield Athenaeum, Westfield on Weekends, and the Westfield Farmer’s Market. Tosi noted that last year’s grant cycle funded the music at the Farmer’s Market this year. When asked what’s missing, or what residents want more of, answers included live See Survey, Page 8