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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
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City man arrested on child porn charges Southwick works with AG on abandoned houses By AMY PORTER Correspondent SOUTHWICK – Southwick is one of the area towns taking increasing advantage of the state attorney general’s Abandoned Housing Initiative (AHI) to turn around blighted properties. The AHI relies on the enforcement authority of the State Sanitary Code to seek out delinquent owners of abandoned residential property and encourage them to voluntarily repair their properties, or to petition the court to appoint a receiver to bring the property up to code. “It’s a huge advantage for three reasons,” Southwick’s Health Inspector Thomas FitzGerald said of the program. “The resources come from the state for legal services. Their people are experts in the process. Gets rid of the blight, improves the neighborhood, and puts houses back on the tax rolls.” One of the properties that is almost completed is 106 Summer Drive in Southwick. FitzGerald said he has been involved with the property for many years, going back to the early 90s. The house wasn’t abandoned because the person technically still owned it, but it was neglected, and the town had issued a condemnation order. The way the program starts is with interested municipalities sharing the addresses of abandoned residential properties with the Attorney General’s office. FitzGerald worked with Julie Datres, an attorney in the AG’s Springfield office. She then contacted the owner and any party with a legal interest in the property, and attempted to reach an agreement under which the owner will complete the necessary repairs. If these negotiations fail, the State Sanitary Code contains a receivership provision which can be used to cure code violations. FitzGerald said in the case of 106 Summer Drive, the owner had left the property 15 years ago. “His intention was to come back, but it wasn’t realistic,” he said. FitzGerald said people say they’re going to do something about these properties, but because of illness or other reasons, they don’t. “This property was in terrible disrepair, causing angst in the neighbor-
hood,” he said. New England Remodeling & Restoration, LLC of Westfield was the receiver assigned to bring the property back up to code. Receivership petitions can be brought by either the AG or the municipality, usually working in partnership. The process begins with the filing of a petition, asking the appropriate court to appoint a receiver. Receivers can be individuals, for-profit or nonprofit organizations. Receivers do not work for the AG nor the municipality. Instead, they are agents of the appointing court. The housing court oversaw the work in Southwick. “Summer Drive was a gut job,” FitzGerald said. “Now, the work has been signed off by the town.” The Sanitary Code allows the receiver to place a lien against the property for all See Abandoned, Page 3
Amelia Park Ice Arena gets $25k for new roof By AMY PORTER Correspondent WESTFIELD – The Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts recently announced a $25,000 grant to the Albert and Amelia Ferst Operating Foundation to support the replacement of the leaking Amelia Park Arena roof. “We’re ecstatic that the Community Foundation has bestowed that grant on us,” said Carole Appleton, executive director of arena. Appleton said the Operating Foundation is launching a 3-year million dollar capital campaign to make the 15-year old building more energy-efficient. She said they have just received a recommissioning report from an ice arena expert. Along with a new roof, there is work needed on HVAC and air conditioning units in the roof. They want to install a low emissive ceiling, either above or below the beams in the rink, which will bring considerable savings
The Westfield News will not publish, Monday, Sept. 7, in observance of Labor Day.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2015
Financing for citywide radio system approved By DAN MORIARTY Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The City Council approved a $2.15 million bond to construct a citywide radio communication system that will enable all departments to communicate and coordinate, especially in response to an emergency by an unanimous vote Thursday. Legislative & Ordinance Chairman Ralph Figy, whose committee brought out the order for the first reading at the council’s Aug. 20, 2015 session, said the proposed communication system is designed to address gaps in the communication capabilities of all city departments. “The need for better communication was identified over several years during multiple meetings of department heads and others (with specific technical knowledge),” Figy said. The communication shortcoming of the current system became evident during 2011 when the city was hit by both a tornado and a freak October snowstorm when many emergency responders had to resort to their personal cell phone to communicate. Technology director Lenore Bernashe said at that August meeting that the tornado and Halloween storm of 2011 exposed the lack of ability to communicate during a crisis, that departments could not speak directly with each other to coordinate a response, and that in many part of the city the current radio system has dead spots Fran Cain of the Water Resource Division of the Public Works Department, said at the Aug 18 joint Finance and Legislative & Ordinance committees meeting that while the use of personal cell phones enabled limited communication, other responders did not have situational awareness because they could not hear the cell phone discussion which would be available over a radio system open to all responders. At-large Councilor David A. Flaherty said Thursday that the proposed radio system in not just limited to hand-held radios. “This is a very complicated system,” Flaherty said. “It’s not just radios, it a base station, transmitters, a system engineered to have communications in areas of the city identified as dead spots. Westfield is a very large land mass, so it’s expensive.” The bond will finance the purchase of over 200 portable radios, the construction of a self-supporting communication tower and booster station. The proposed system incorporates much of the existing infrastructure, but that a new communication tower will be constructed in the area of West Road to eliminate dead spots in that area. The 100-foothigh tower will be located on city land and will be erected next to a booster station which is already equipped with an emergency generator.
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on a regular basis. They will also have to bring down the regular sprinkler system, and want to replace all of the lights with LED lights. Appleton said all of these projects will have to be grouped together and scheduled, and requests for proposals (RFPs) sent out. The campaign will also look to set up endowments to allow future generations to use the arena. Appleton said the facility opened due to the generosity of Albert and Amelia Ferst, but there are no trusts or endowments to keep it operating. “Since Mr. Ferst’s death in 2011, we’ve been asking how do we move forward. We need to take the steps now to bring down expenses, and make the arena viable for the future,” Appleton said. The foundation hopes to launch a public support campaign by the first of the year.
“Mr. Ferst gave the arena and memorial garden in memory of his wife Amelia. They did an awful lot for the City of Westfield. Now the people of Westfield will be able to support the dream that Mr. Ferst had,” she said. Among the plans being considered for the campaign is a piggy bank thermometer at the rink, so the kids at the rink can give change and feel a part of the fundraising effort, as well. “We’re going to be looking for the whole community to get on board and support ice hockey, sled hockey, figure skating, and exercise,” she said. Recently, the arena received a Future Fund grant of $5,000 from The Westfield Bank to support sled hockey. Foundation members will be contacting businesses and all the banks as they rev up the campaign over the next couple of months. “The Amelia Park Ice Arena is a jewel not only for Westfield but for all of Massachusetts,” Appleton said.
By CHRISTINE CHARNOSKY Staff Writer WESTFIELD – A city man was arrested on charges of taking and distributing child pornography, which appears to be part of an ongoing investigation regarding a child porn ring in Westfield. Alan D. White, 48, was arrested shortly before 11 a.m. Thursday morning on a warrant and charged with two counts of photographing an unsuspecting nude person, reckless endangerment of a child and two counts of disseminating photographs of an unsuspecting nude person. White was arraigned in Westfield District Court Friday and held on $50,000 cash surety. On July 9, Westfield police executed a search warrant at 919 Southampton Road, apartment J2, as part of an ongoing multi-jurisdictional investigation of child pornography, according to Det. Roxann Bradley’s statement of facts. During the execution of the search warrant, White waived his Miranda rights, spoke to police and admitted to taking secret photographs of a partially nude child twice between February 2012 and February 2015, according to Bradley. Additionally, White admitted to giving these photographs to an individual, known to the Commonwealth, in exchange for sex, Bradley wrote. These photographs were originally discovered by law enforcement in the possession of the individual to which White had disseminated them. White and this individual also exchanged text messages discussing the victim. White took pictures and gave them to an individual, “knowing this person has strong sexual desires for children,” Bradley wrote. “His behavior was a gross departure of what a reasonable person would do.” Eric Jenney, 45, of Westfield was arraigned June 26 on charges of three counts of possession of child pornography, and while police aren’t confirming nor denying whether these cases are linked, there appears to be a strong connection. Westfield Police had executed a search warrant on Jenney’s home on June 25 as part of an ongoing investigation and found images of child pornography on Jenney’s personal computer, a Sony camera’s scan disc card and on a thumb drive. The pornography charges include videos of sex with children under 10 containing what police believe to be a very explicit situation involving Jenney with a minor child, according to court records. At an August 7 pretrial hearing Jenney’s attorney, Jared Olanoff, said the district attorney’s office is deciding whether to move the case to Hampden County Superior Court. Jenney, who was released June 29 on $5,000 personal surety, is due back in Westfield District Court on October 30. Police did not arrest White at the time they executed the search warrant but later requested a warrant for his arrest since he has no known address. Westfield Police Capt. Michael McCabe said there are various reasons law enforcement may not arrest a suspect on the spot even if there is probable cause, including that the charges are part of an ongoing investigation. White is due back in court for a pretrial hearing on September 29. Staff Writer Christine Charnosky can be reached at christinec@thewestfieldnewsgroup.com
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