Search for The Westfield News
WEATHER TONIGHT
The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
Showers. Low of 41.
www.thewestfieldnews.com VOL. 86 NO. 80
By GREG FITZPATRICK Correspondent SOUTHWICK – At Wednesday night’s Park and Recreation meeting the committee discussed an issue with the lighting project at Whalley Park. The contractor for the project, J & L Construction out of West Springfield, had requested to have an extension on their contract from the original deadline of March 30, 2017. Jason Larochelle, who works for J & L Construction and was present at the meeting, noted a couple of reasons why the company wanted to extend the contract. The first factor being the anchor bolts used for the street lighting were not delivered on time to J & L. According to Larcohelle, the parts didn’t arrive until March 29, nearly six weeks after the process to purchase them began on Feb. 17. The other reason for extending was the result of a delay in delivery for the complete bases for the anchor bolt assembly. Larochelle also pointed out to the Parks and Recreation Committee that the plan is to have the rest of the materials delivered by April 12. He wants the whole project to be fully operational for April 26, so parking lighting and street lighting will be in full effect for baseball games this spring and summer. J & L believes they will need five days after the materials are delivered to install the field lighting and wiring which puts April 26 as the target day for completion. The committee continued to address the extension request and Larochelle added that they would want an additional extension up until May 31 so the seeding can be put on the fields. Parks and Recreation Chairman Patrick Roche then called the extension request to vote. Committee member See Extension, Page 3
Members of WRAFT, along with members of the Toxic Action Center, while at the 30th Annual Local Environmental Action Conference, at Northeastern University, March 5, with a sign in reference to Lois Gibbs, the event’s keynote speaker. From left to right: Shaina Kasper, Vermont State Director, Toxics Action Center; Alina Davledzarova, WRAFT; Kristen Mello, WRAFT; Gail Bean, WRAFT; Kelsey Whiting-Jones, Western Massachusetts and Connecticut Community Organizer, Toxics Action Center.
Community group formed in response to water issues By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD—Some city residents have come together and formed a group to help inform others and speak out against what they perceive as risks to health and the Barnes aquifer. The group, called Westfield Residents Advising for Themselves (WRAFT), first formed in February of this year, and is now making their existence as a group publicly known. Currently, the approximately 10 member group is made up of residents in the city, including Ward 1 City Councilor Mary Ann Babinski and Kristen Mello, who has been vocal about the city’s water contamination issues. According to Mello and others in the group, the aim of the cadre currently is to protect the Barnes aquifer, as well as provide a group of voices that Mello said sound stronger together. “Sometimes people are afraid to open their mouths, to have their voices heard,” Babinski said. “The point is to not be afraid to say something.” Additionally, according to WRAFT member Gail Bean, the members aim to bring education to others, including assisting the city in their efforts to protect the aquifer. “Our other thing also is to educate the community as best we can. The city has a lot on its plate,” Bean said. “We can get the information people need to make informed decisions.” And for Babinski, her efforts in the group are also meant as a service to the residents that are concerned, some of which are her constituents and others not. “These people have had similar concerns and I’m cheering them on to continue,” she said. “If this group gets residents heard then it’s done its job.” The group first formed in February, after members of the Toxic Action Center, a New
England-based nonprofit organization that focuses on environmental issues and community organization, reached out to Mello following up on communication made with Babinski and the group. Mello had been previously voicing her concerns to Babinski and others about the contamination issue with Barnes aquifer and the Westfield water, as well as delving into research and documents related to the Barnes aquifer and other contamination issues. According to Mello, a member of the organization asked if there were others that felt like her. She said yes. And so from there, it was suggested that a meeting be scheduled and a group be organized around the ideas. According to Mello, there have been three meetings thus far but it has been a somewhat clandestine effort to this point. However, she said that now they are opening the idea to the public, which includes taking in new members, creating a website and applying for grants to help fund the efforts. Due to the group’s lack of publicity until now, there is not much known about it by city officials. One official, Westfield Mayor Brian Sullivan, said that he will listen to the group and is meeting with them later in the month, which is when he will learn more about their interests. “I’m interested to hear what they have to say. I’ll keep an open mind at this point,” Sullivan said. He added that the interests of the group that he knows of thus far are interests already being addressed by groups like the Barnes Aquifer Protective Advisory Committee, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and the city’s water department. If anyone is interested, they can contact Mello at KLRigg@gmail.com for more information.
Fifth annual Earth Day clean-up scheduled, looking for volunteers By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD–Mayor Brian Sullivan is inviting residents to help out cleaning the city during the fifth annual Earth Day clean-up event on April 22. The event is set to begin at 8 a.m. on Saturday, April 22, with people gathering at the Masonic Lodge on Broad Street. The cleaning will cover a variety of areas in the city and will also provide participants with both breakfast and lunch. It is expected to last until noon, with participants meeting back at the lodge by 1 p.m. According to Sullivan, among the areas that will be focused on for clean-up are See Clean-Up, Page 3
Volunteers clean up a flower bed during Westfield’s 2016 Earth Day cleanup. (File
— THOMAS WENTWORTH HIGGINSON
75 cents
THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2017
Extension request is proposed for Whalley Park lights project
“To be really cosmopolitan, a man must be at home even in his own country.”
School Committee reviews FY18 line-item budget By AMY PORTER Correspondent WESTFIELD – On Wednesday, the Finance subcommittee reviewed the FY18 line item budget of the Westfield Public Schools with the majority of the administrative team and the full School Committee in attendance. Chair Kevin Sullivan thanked everyone for coming to the meeting. In remarks about the budget as a whole, Sullivan noted the advancements in each of the things the district has been trying to attain, such as smaller class sizes, reaching out to the business community, an alternative high school, technology and maintenance issues. He said that the budget tries to address all of these priorities. Sullivan said the bottom line is a budget at $60,345,300. He said 80% of the budget is personnel costs, which is a lower percentage than in recent years. “The past couple of years it was creeping up to 82-83%, with nothing left for other things.” He said what they are left with at this point in time, adding in the money in the Governor’s budget of $532,000 for Westfield, is $913,000 over last year. “That is the crux of the matter,” Sullivan said. “The number was $2.9 million. The administration has done a great job getting that down,” said Ramon Diaz, Jr., a member of the Finance sub-committee. Diaz also commented that the district has had to dip into revolving accounts, such as school choice funds, which are designed to supplement the budget, not be used for the primary operation. Sullivan said some of the big costs are associated See School Budget, Page 8
Planning Board continues to discuss marijuana moratorium By GREG FITZPATRICK Correspondent SOUTHWICK – The Planning Board is continuing to hold a moratorium on marijuana. During Tuesday night’s meeting, the board talked about dividing the issue into two parts; one concerning medical marijuana, and the other for recreational marijuana. With the medical side of marijuana, there isn’t too much to change with most of the regulations already being in place. The Planning Board would still have to plan out aspects like cultivation and manufacturing. Town Planner Alan Slissler said that recreational side will be a little more extensive. “We have to address the growing of it, the selling of it,” said Slissler. According to Slissler, the Planning Board is expecting to close the hearing on marijuana at their next meeting on April 18. That particular meeting will be when the board votes on approving the warrant article that town council will be drafting up. The deadline to have warrant articles complete in preparation for the annual town meeting in May is on April 28.
Photo by Lynn Boscher)
The Planning Board discusses the moratorium for marijuana during their public hearing. (Photo by Greg Fitzpatrick)