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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
www.thewestfieldnews.com VOL. 86 NO. 50
“Just as we are often moved to merriment for no other reason than that the occasion calls for seriousness, so we are correspondingly serious when invited too freely to be amused.” — AGNES REPPLIER
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THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017
Westfield water update By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD–With the recent deluge of snow, some rain and warm temperatures, the Granville reservoir has gotten significantly closer to coming back online. The Granville reservoir, which was taken offline first in November of last year, then again in December, is still below the average level for this time of year but has gotten significantly closer to the average than where it was in November. And according to Westfield’s water systems engineer Heather Miller, the reservoir may soon be used again, though no firm timetable is available.
“We are going to meet and discuss the reservoir soon,” Miller said. “If we get to the point where the spillway is used we may open. Hopefully we open soon.” The spillway for the reservoir is where the measurement for water levels normally occur in the reservoir. Currently, Miller said that the reservoir is less than half a foot below the spillway. Previously, the reservoir was at least 12.5 feet below the spillway in November and 11.5 feet below in December. While the current level is better than where the reservoir was at previously, Miller said that the city is still waiting for the water to not only reach the spillway but also be above it. Miller said that
at the end of February 2015, the reservoir was about a half a foot above the spillway and at the end of February 2016, the water was between one-tenth and one-fifth of a foot above the spillway. According to Miller, flashboards have been installed onto the reservoir, which will increase the capacity of the water source and would allow the water level to go beyond the spillway, as was the case in February the past two years. Once it is determined that the reservoir can come back online, Miller said that it would be about two weeks between the decision and the reservoir officially being put back on. This is to
A portion of the Granville reservoir as of March 1, 2017. Water has encroached further up from a November 2016 file photo. run tests on the water and treatment facility and to take care of any repairs that are needed, among other tasks. She also said that even if the reservoir is put back online, a water restriction is still likely to continue for the city, especially since the area is still in drought conditions.
Westfield Mayor getting head-start on city budget
CPC votes on land grant By GREG FITZPATRICK Correspondent SOUTHWICK – During the CPC (Community Preservation Committee) meeting on Tuesday night, the committee took action on a subject relative to preserving North Pond. The CPC voted on whether or not to recommend the North Pond land grant that could be used towards helping preserve the North Pond land. According to CPC member, Marcus Phelps, the representative from the Planning Board, the land grant is for $1 million. It is from the open space and unreserved funds that the CPC has. The vote was 7-1 in favor of recommending the land grant to the Select Board. The next step is that it will be drafted up as a warrant article and voted on at the annual town meeting in May. Phelps also said that a recently revised appraisal was set at $5 million. The appraisal amount hasn’t changed much. The Franklin Land Trust, who submitted the application for the North Pond land grant, has been working with a number of North Pond supporters in town on new fundraisers that can help raise money. The deadline to raise $5 million and conserve the North Pond land is this July. Visit www.savenorthpond.org for more information on what Franklin Land Trust and supporters have been doing recently.
The North Pond land consists of 144 acres and was recently appraised at $5 million. (WNG File Photo)
Identity of shoplifting suspects revealed By GREG FITZPATRICK Correspondent SOUTHWICK – After numerous tips and information, the Southwick Police Department has been able to identify the two suspects in the Big Y shoplifting incident on February 18. Giovanni Martinez, a 36-year-old male, and Rachel Albee, a 30 year old female, both from Springfield, were charged with shoplifting and will be summoned to the Westfield District Court to face the charges. The Westfield News first reported on this on
Feb. 18 as the Southwick Police Department posted on their Facebook page that the suspects were being sought after by the police. According to the investigation, there was a substantial loss for Big Y as a result of the shoplifting incident. Later in the day on Feb. 18, Southwick Police announced an update on their Facebook Page that the two individuals were identified. Southwick Police thanked everyone in the community that was asked to call the police if they had any information.
Southwick Select Board mulls tax break program By GREG FITZPATRICK Correspondent SOUTHWICK – Two town officials met with the Select Board at their meeting on Tuesday night to propose a tax break idea to the board. Finance Committee Vice-Chairperson Bob Horacek and Council on Aging Director Cindy Sullivan talked to the Select Board about the possibility of having a senior tax work off program for the town of Southwick. A program initially created by the state of Massachusetts, it has several requirements that Horacek and Sullivan still need to look into more but they did tell the Select Board that the program would be offered to low-income seniors. Horacek informed the board that the City of Westfield currently has the program of which
By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD–Mayor Brian Sullivan has gotten a head-start on the upcoming budget, with the hopes of being “totally transparent.” Sullivan asked for the budget requests of all the departments in the city to be in this week, in what he termed as the “first round of budgets.” Sullivan expects to have the numbers of the requests in about two weeks, and wants to both be able to get the budget in quicker than last year and allow people to see the budget process in action. “We’re starting this process earlier to be totally transparent with how it all goes together,” Sullivan said. “This is just a starting point.” Sullivan is hopeful that with this earlier start, he can get the budget to Westfield city council’s finance subcommittee by late April or early May. He is also hoping to see the budget rise at least some. “Hopefully, a slight increase is what I’m looking for,” he said. “The cost of doing business in the city is increasing.” However, Sullivan does not necessarily anticipate such an increase is coming. Just in case, he has asked those in charge of budgets to find different ways that money could be saved. “I’ve asked department heads to do a deep management of their budgets to find unique ways to save money,” he said. He also said that there could be some costsaving measures done through an attrition of the city’s municipal workforce. This would mostly be through retirements and positions being left open in the city but Sullivan said it would not include termination of employees.
there is an application process that the town of Southwick would need to establish. For a city that has a population of around 40,000 people, Westfield accepted about 40 seniors to the program. Horacek said that after looking at what a neighboring community like Westfield did, he says that 10 seniors being accepted into the program would be a fair number to start. If there ended up being more than 10 seniors that apply, there would then be a lottery system put into place. Sullivan suggested that the program could run for roughly 37 weeks, with the accepted seniors working for three or four hours a week. Each senior would receive $1,500 a year at the maximum. See Tax Break, Page 3
Westfield Mayor Brian Sullivan (WNG file photo)
Gateway presents budget in public hearing
Chester School Committee members Diane Dunn and Shirley Winer participate in the budget hearing.
By AMY PORTER Correspondent HUNTINGTON – Gateway Regional Schools Superintendent Dr. David B. Hopson presented the working FY18 budget at a public hearing on Wednesday evening, at which officials from the six Gateway towns participated. Hopson said the process began in September, and a line item budget was given to the School Committee in January. The budget covers the two K-5 elementary schools in Chester and Littlefield, then in the Gateway complex a 6-8 middle school and the 9-12 high school. He said that configuration, which was new this year when the fifth grade moved back into the elementary schools, seems to be working.
“I think we’ve got a pretty good system at this point,” Hopson said. He noted that Gateway is a Level 2 district, after Littleville elementary went from a Level 3 to a Level 1 school, joining the high school at Level 1, although he added he doesn’t put that much weight on MCAS or PARCC scores. He also commended the School Committee for caring about the whole child. He said Gateway is a small district with a dedicated staff, great academics and a great social environment. He also said that a large percentage of students go to college, many the first in their families to do so. Once in college, he said they are doing well, and are well prepared. Hopson said they have a great Life
Skills program at Gateway, but one that is too wide in age, and they are working to offer more opportunities to students who are 18-21 in that program, including hiring a teacher this year. They are also transitioning to small buses, having purchased one that can transport students to outside programs. “The more we can grow that in-house, the more we can save money for the district,” Hopson said He said the number one priority for the district and the School Committee is to enhance student services. Hopson said the budget overall has cost increases of over $1 million, and savings See Gateway, Page 3