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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
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VOL. 84 NO. 118
— LAURENCE J. PETER
SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2015
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Guardsman briefs USAFE personnel on computer program By TECH. SGT. MELANIE J. CASINEAU 104th Fighter Wing Public Affairs RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany- A Massachusetts Air National Guard member briefed the U.S. Air Forces in Europe Air personnel staff (A1) at Ramstein on the Virtual Personnel Center (vPC) computer program, May 7 here. Senior Master Sgt. Nicholas Kollett, State Enlisted Force Development Manager, Joint Force Headquarters, Massachusetts Air National Guard, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, deployed to Ramstein to train with the 786th Military Personnel Flight and learning they would be transitioning to the vPC later this year, offered to introduce them to the system. Members from the 786th were very pleased with their introduction to the vPC system from Kollett and told the members from USAFE/A1 about their experience. The USAFE/A1 staff realized the importance of this training and quickly asked Kollett to do the same training for them at the USAFE headquarters building. “It was nice to help them out, and to be part of one big team,” Kollett said. Kollett has years of experience using vPC during his time as a first sergeant for 260 Airmen from 2010 to 2014. He continues to use the program both personally and helping Airmen assigned to him in his current position at JFHQ. The vPC, previously called vPC-GR, was only accessible to the Guard and Reserve and is now being offered to active duty. It’s nice to see that all three Air Force components are using the same system, Kollett said. Active-duty Airmen here at Ramstein had never seen the program and only heard of this upcoming transition through email and Defense Connect Online. The system will not be available for them to access until June, Kollett said. As a current guardsman, Kollett has access to vPC and was able to login and show them what the platform actually looked like, using his experience to provide overview training. “The members were very receptive and very thankful that they were able to see the program because they have only been told about it,” Kollett said. See USAFE, Page 5
U.S. military bumps up threat level at bases WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military has increased the threat level at bases across North America. Officials say the incremental boost will likely mean heightened vigilance and more random bag or vehicle checks. The baseline level went from A to B, although most military installations — including the Pentagon — were already at a slightly higher level of protection than level A. There are four levels, A through D. Army Col. Steve Warren says the increase was not triggered by a specific event. He says it was due to a generally heightened threat environment, which would include the recent terror threat and attempted attack surrounding a provocative cartoon contest in Texas. The alert level was approved by Adm. Bill Gortney, head of U.S. Northern Command.
“Television has changed the American child from an irresistible force into an immovable object.”
Council delays Pride permit action
reach out to families who wouldn’t usually use the pantry,” she said. “Many people don’t know, but if a family qualifies for free lunches then they probably qualify for the pantry’s services, too.” The Southwick Food Pantry usually gives 96,000 pounds of food to needy families every year. For the Boys and Girls club, it’s not as easy as packing an extra shopping bag. “Project Bread does the flyers for us. Those will get passed out in schools before the last day of class,” said Charrise Angco of the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Westfield.”We work closely with the South Middle School kitchen staff. They cook all the meals and then we transport the lunches ourselves to children throughout the city five days a week all summer long.” Funded through a grant through the Department of Early and Secondary Education, they plan to serve 25,000 meals at the Hubbard St
By DAN MORIARTY Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The City Council Thursday night continued the public hearing on the underground fuel storage tanks permit requested by Pride Limited Partnership, following the same action taken by the Planning Board Tuesday night. Pride is seeking council authorization to install underground storage tanks for 41,000 gallons of gasoline and diesel fuel at 9 Southampton Road, and 25,000 of diesel fuel at 33 Southampton Road. The Planning Board is conducting a much broader review of the project, two fueling stations to be constructed at the “jug handle” formed by the intersection of Owen District Road and Friendly Way. Pride has petitioned the Planning Board for a special permit, stormwater management permit and site plan approval. The board’s review process gives it great latitude in determining if a proposed project is suitable for the site. A major concern of the board is the impact of the additional traffic that would be generated by the Pride project which includes not only fueling facilities, but restaurant with a drive-through window. Pride founder Robert Bolduc agreed Tuesday night to pay for a peer review of the traffic data he submitted as part of the site plan review process. The Planning Board voted Tuesday to continue the public hearing and to retain an outside engineering consultant to conduct that peer review of the traffic impacts. City Council BRIAN P. President Brian SULLIVAN Sullivan said prior to Thursday’s meeting that he intends to keep the council’s public hearing open until the Planning Board makes its decision, which will include findings and conditions which will be attached to the council’s vote as well to avoid any ambiguity. “This is not an easy project to review, so I want to see what the Planning Board does and see its findings and conditions
See Summer Program, Page 5
See Permit, Page 5
SOUTHWICK FOOD PANTRY
Summer programs ready to feed local kids By RACHEL ROJAS Correspondent WESTFIELD – While most kids count down the days until summer starts, some kids might not be looking forward to vacation as much. The state of Massachusetts feeds more than 26 million children each school day, but what happens to those children when school ends? That’s when some community groups need to step in. Many community centers are funded with a mix of donations and grants, and are always waiting for the other shoe to drop. Recently, the Easthampton Community Center found that it was going to lose something between $20,000 and $24,000 of its annual budget when a city auditor realized that Easthampton had been making big donations to the center for the last 43 years despite a 1917 law that everyone had forgotten about, except for the auditor. The Center provided 63,000 breakfasts, lunches, and snacks to children last summer and they had hoped to continue that work this summer. Now they need to raise the money first. In Westfield, the Boys and Girls Club and area pantries are gearing up for their own summer programs. With budgets scraped together from donations from the United Way, grants and federal funds, they plan to battle food insecurity felt by thousands of our own local children. Sally Munson at the Southwick Food Pantry is getting ready to start stockpiling foods for their summer program where they distribute extra groceries to children. Last year was their first year and they we able to give out an extra 5000 pounds of food. This year they hope to do more. “We reached out to kids who relied on school lunches. We wanted to get extra food to kids over the summer, but we also wanted
BILL PARKS t o SALLY MUNSON
State announces solar milestone WORCESTER – Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Matthew Beaton this week announced that Massachusetts has installed more than 841 megawatts of solar electricity, bringing the Commonwealth more than halfway to the Baker administration’s goal of 1,600 megawatts by 2020. Beaton made the announcement during a solar event hosted by the Worcester Business Journal. “Today’s announcement further supports the Baker-Polito administration’s commitment to a vibrant clean energy sector that creates jobs and economic prosperity for the Commonwealth,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew Beaton. “Continuing to diversify Massachusetts’ energy portfolio through the
development of solar generation will work to strengthen the state’s growing clean energy economy while supporting new innovative technologies.” The 841 megawatts of installed solar electricity is enough to power more than 128,000 average Massachusetts homes, and is responsible for reducing greenhouse gas emissions equal to taking over 73,000 cars off the road. “Under the Baker-Polito administration, Massachusetts will continue to harness solar power to protect the environment, save on energy costs, and create jobs,” said Department of Energy Resources (DOER) Commissioner Judith Judson. “This is an See Solar Milestone, Page 5
Jeremy Bobo, foreground, of Synergy Solar, and Tony Paton, background, of Elm Electric, use heavy steel cables to square a solar panel mount at the new seven-acre solar farm near the Big-Y supermarket in Southwick last year. (Photo by Frederick Gore)